National security law: day of defiance as protests break out in Hong Kong, about 370 arrested
- Thousands of demonstrators play cat and mouse with police across Causeway Bay and Wan Chai, shouting slogans, with an officer stabbed in clash
- Officials celebrating 23rd anniversary of handover rally behind legislation, doubling down on how it will help bring back stability to city
Hong Kong on Wednesday marked the 23rd anniversary of its return to Chinese rule under the new reality of a sweeping national security law that brought thousands of opponents out on the streets in open defiance and saw police make the first arrests with their newly acquired powers to enforce it.
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Beijing passes national security law for Hong Kong
Events began in the morning with an array of top Beijing and local officials taking turns to defend the contentious new legislation that was tailor-made for the city, insisting it would strengthen the “one country, two systems” policy and protect the interests of the vast majority of Hongkongers.
At a two-hour media briefing, Zhang Xiaoming, deputy chief of the cabinet-level Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office, said the new law was a purely domestic matter and no foreign government had a right to interfere.
The time that the Chinese people have to please others has passed
“No one knows better than us how to cherish [one country, two systems],” he said. “What does this have to do with [them]? … The time that the Chinese people have to please others has passed.”
At the annual reception to celebrate Hong Kong’s return from British rule, Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor said the new law was “necessary and timely” for the resumption of stability after more than a year of often-violent protests.