Hong Kong’s No 2 official says no foreign officials or businesspeople raised domestic national security law concerns at global forum

Chief Secretary Eric Chan says overseas officials and business figures ‘must welcome’ domestic national security legislation

Chan speaks out after he attends Boao Forum for Asia meeting on mainland Chinese island of Hainan

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Chief Secretary Eric Chan addresses a meeting at the Boao Forum for Asia. Photo: Handout

Published: 5:43pm, 28 Mar 2024Updated: 8:19pm, 28 Mar 2024

Hong Kong’s No 2 official has said no one at a major Asian economic forum had raised concerns about the city’s new domestic national security law with him, adding the commercial sector “must welcome” the stable environment the legislation is designed to provide.

Chief Secretary Eric Chan Kwok-ki said on Thursday the Article 23 legislation mandated by the Basic Law, the city’s mini-constitution, had not come up during talks with political figures and the business sector at the Boao Forum for Asia, an annual international economic summit held on the mainland Chinese island of Hainan.

“No government and business representatives flagged their worries on the legislation of Article 23 to me,” he added. “Actually, no one has even raised the issue of Article 23.”

Chan maintained as he prepared to return to Hong Kong that it was “easily understandable” that no one had concerns as the business sector valued a relatively safe and stable social environment.

“I believe such a good environment for doing business must be welcomed by the businessmen,” he said.

Chan hit out at criticisms of the new law by some Western media and questioned why they did not report on how the “2019 black violence” that rocked the city had affected business confidence.