Hong Kong is ‘only place in the world without national security law’, liaison office chief says

Wang Zhimin declares at a conference that city is ‘a major weakness in the nation’s overall security’

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Liaison office director Wang Zhimin hits out at ‘Hong Kong independence radicals’. Photo: Felix Wong

Published: 2:45pm, 15 Apr 2018Updated: 11:32pm, 15 Apr 2018

It is Hong Kong’s responsibility to safeguard national security, two mainland Chinese officials in the city have said as they hit out at local activists for “colluding with external forces” and challenging China’s sovereignty.

The remarks from the central government’s liaison office director Wang Zhimin and Yang Yirui, deputy commissioner of Beijing’s foreign ministry office in Hong Kong, came at a high-powered symposium on Sunday.

Their words were regarded by pro-Beijing politicians as a call for the city’s government to enact the controversial national security legislation before its current term ends in 2022. The pair’s comments were also seen as a veiled attack on embattled academic Benny Tai Yiu-ting, who was strongly criticised for his independence remarks in a seminar in Taiwan last month.

(From left ) Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, former city leader Tung Chee-hwa, and liaison office director Wang Zhimin. Photo: Felix Wong

At the same event, Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor and Secretary for Security John Lee Ka-chiu were non-committal over any timetable for the legislation.

Lam said she hoped that the symposium could be an opportunity for authorities to “launch promotional and educational activities relating to national security”.

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