US voices concerns over use of ‘broad and vague’ definitions in Hong Kong’s Article 23 national security law to stifle dissent

Joining the fray after China hit back at Britain for voicing its own worries, US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller on Thursday offered his country’s strongest opinion on the coming legislation so far by warning it risked compounding the effects of the Beijing-imposed security law that he said had curtailed rights and freedoms.

“We are particularly concerned by Hong Kong authorities’ proposal to adopt broad and vague definitions of ‘state secrets’ and ‘external interference’ that could be used to eliminate dissent through the fear of arrest and detention,” he said.

Theft of state secrets and external interference are two of the five offences proposed in the new security legislation, which Hong Kong is required to pass under Article 23 of the Basic Law, its mini-constitution. The three others are treason, insurrection and sabotage endangering national security.

“We are also concerned that Hong Kong authorities will apply Article 23 extraterritorially in their ongoing campaign of transnational repression to intimidate and restrict the free speech of US citizens and residents,” Miller said.

He added that enacting further national security legislation with “vaguely defined provisions and purported extraterritorial reach” would further violate Beijing’s international commitments and undermine the “one country, two systems” governing principle.

Earlier in the day, Beijing hit back at “groundless attacks” on the proposed law after British Foreign Secretary David Cameron said it would inhibit freedom of expression and threaten legitimate diplomatic activities in Hong Kong.

The Chinese embassy in London said the Sino-British Joint Declaration did not give London the right to intervene in Hong Kong’s affairs, after Cameron revealed UK officials had raised their concerns over the bill “privately” with city authorities.