Coronavirus pandemic and protests highlight need for national security legislation in Hong Kong, says Beijing’s top official in city
- Director of the central government’s liaison office in Hong Kong, Luo Huining, also urged the city to oppose acts that threatened its stability
- Official makes his remarks on ‘National Security Education Day’
Being hit by the double whammy of the coronavirus pandemic and social unrest showed that it was urgent for Hong Kong to do more in protecting national security, according to Beijing’s top representative in the city.
Luo Huining, director of the central government’s liaison office in Hong Kong, also urged the city to work together in opposing acts that threaten its stability.
“We must fight the pandemic together, and oppose [the notion of] ‘if we burn, you burn with us’,” he said in a video message, in a reference to a popular slogan of last year’s anti-government protest movement.
“As long as everyone fulfils their responsibility, and builds this city together, we can overcome all kinds of risks and challenges.”
Luo’s message was among a series of speeches released on the website of the think tank Hong Kong Policy Research Institute to mark China’s “National Security Education Day” on Wednesday.