“There is no contradiction in safeguarding national security and expressing one’s interests and demands but there are many ways to do so,” he said. “Demonstrations are not the only way.”

Citing past examples of collective action, the top Beijing official said residents had stood together to protect the environment and voice livelihood concerns, but warned some movements had been hijacked.

“People’s goodwill can easily be exploited or manipulated by some with an ulterior motive, who distort concerns over livelihood issues into political matters in a bid to trigger social confrontation,” he said.

Warning there was “no future” for a confrontational society, Xia urged Hongkongers to build a climate of rational communication that sought common ground.

Xia zooms in on Hong Kong’s economy to de-emphasise political squabbles: analysts

“I hope that Hong Kong will hold conventions and exhibitions every day, engage in innovation and technology, and fight for the economy,” he said, joking to the applause of the 1,000-strong audience that they should also enjoy “horse racing, dancing, speculating on stocks and making big money.”

During the 20-minute speech, Xia also encouraged everyone in the city to be a constructive and positive force for maintaining stability and developing Hong Kong.

“We believe that Hong Kong is an attractive location and a paradise that breeds opportunities and wealth. Investors from all over the world have created miracles here. A prosperous and stable Hong Kong is in the best interest of everyone,” he said.

Use Communist Party theories to solve Hong Kong’s issues: top Beijing official

The top Beijing official’s call for a less confrontational society followed Hong Kong’s first authorised demonstration in three years, during which participants last month were asked by police to wear numbered lanyards and had their banners and leaflets checked by officers beforehand – a series of new requirements that some legal experts have described as disproportionate.

Earlier this week, two former members of the now defunct Confederation of Trade Unions applied to host a 500-strong march on Labour Day, saying holding the rally would be a test of political freedoms under Beijing’s national security law.

Ex-members of disbanded union group apply to hold Labour Day rally in Hong Kong

Xia also called for residents to stay vigilant as he said forces threatening national security had yet to be weeded out, pointing to the central government’s support in completing the local version of security law, or Article 23 legislation under the Basic Law, the city’s mini-constitution.

“We should stay vigilant against the resurgence of street violence, be wary of ‘soft confrontations’ with secret attempts to trigger chaos and also be wary of some anti-China activities overseas which might in the end affect the city,” he said, reiterating that national security was the cornerstone of Hong Kong’s stability and prosperity.

Xia also said the 2019 protests were an “indelible scar” and a constant reminder that the city should never go down the same path again.

“Can we afford to let Hong Kong be in chaos again with separatists rampaging? Can we let district councils be manipulated by anti-China forces again? Absolutely not,” he said.

Xia reportedly told a group of pro-establishment politicians a day ago that the city’s future district councils would be purely advisory bodies comprising patriots to prevent a repeat of 2019’s chaos.

Opposition activists scored a landslide victory in the municipal-level polls at the height of the protests that year, but many have since quit over new oath-taking requirements under the security law.

Hong Kong’s district councils ‘to be purely advisory bodies formed by patriots’

Xia called on the city’s executive, legislative and judicial branches, as well as its 180,000-strong civil service, to do their parts in defending national security.

He also praised officials sanctioned by the United States for “being fearless”, as well as local courts for delivering deterrent sentences to criminals involved in the 2019 protests. Xia said the latter had defended the “dignity of the rule of law” and won support from general society.

Speaking after Xia at the seminar, city leader John Lee Ka-chiu said activities endangering national security had gradually emerged and escalated since Hong Kong’s return to the motherland.

He added that Hong Kong had only returned to peace and stability after Beijing implemented the national security law in 2020.

The legislation prohibits acts of secession, subversion of state power, terrorism and foreign interference.

But the city’s chief executive also warned that some threats to national security remained, arguing that young people were less prone to following the law and could be easily incited to commit crimes.

“There are still a small bunch of separatists who continue to plot against Hong Kong and work underground. Lately, there have been people arrested for publicly promoting violence, so we can see that there are still sub-currents that can pose a threat,” he said.

The government would improve Hong Kong’s efforts to safeguard national security by enacting Article 23 of the Basic Law to introduce the city’s own national security legislation as soon as possible, as well as restrict crowdfunding activities and combat false information, he added.

Article 23 requires Hong Kong to enact its own laws prohibiting any act of treason, secession, sedition, subversion against the central government. It must also outlaw theft of state secrets, as well as ban foreign political organisations or bodies from conducting related activities in the city, and prevent local political bodies from establishing ties with foreign counterparts.

Beijing’s top official for Hong Kong affairs kicks off fact-finding trip

Discussing Xia’s speech, Basic Law Committee vice-chairwoman Maria Tam Wai-chu said she did not believe he was suggesting residents should not take part in protests.

Freedom of demonstration and assembly, as well as association were protected by the Basic Law, but some restrictions should be imposed for the sake of public safety and order if deemed necessary, she explained.

Executive Council convenor Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee, who previously served as a security minister, said Hong Kong’s mini-constitution guaranteed residents the right to protest, but added the city had learned a painful lesson from 2019.

“Peaceful protests can become violent. The police have to implement appropriate regulations,” she said. “Regulating the number of participants and wearing tags for identification is to avoid lawbreakers sneaking into the crowd.”

Beijing hears Hong Kong human rights under city’s own national security law vital

After the seminar, Xia visited areas earmarked for the North Metropolis scheme, which aims to construct up to 186,000 homes and develop an IT hub along the border with mainland China.

Secretary for Development Bernadette Linn Hon-ho, who accompanied the top Beijing official, said he had described such mega projects as linked to residents’ well-being and providing development opportunities for the next generation.

In the evening, Xia met members of Heung Yee Kuk, a government-recognised body that represents the interests of Hong Kong’s indigenous villagers, for three hours.

Xia’s visit to the city will wrap up on Tuesday.