On the 19th, the National Security Maintenance Ordinance was unanimously passed by the Legislative Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.
On the same day, the Legislative Council held an additional meeting to resume the debate on the second reading of the bill and focus on the remaining legislative process of the bill. After about 8 hours of deliberation by more than 80 members, the bill was finally passed on third reading with 89 votes in favour, 0 against and 0 abstention.
What does this legislation mean for Hong Kong?
In the words of the President of the Legislative Council, Liang Junyan, this is "26 years late". The local legislation stipulated in Article 23 of the Hong Kong Basic Law (referred to as "Article 23 Legislation" for short) has been delayed for more than 20 years, making Hong Kong helpless in dealing with national security risks in the past.
Tan Huizhu, the former deputy director of the Hong Kong Basic Law Committee of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, gave an example, saying that the "disturbance of rule amendment" in 2019 was a painful lesson. The "black storm" seriously damaged social order and made people unable to live and work in peace and contentment. As Hong Kong is undefended, when these problems arise, there is no law that can truly prevent the secession of the country or subversion of state power. Until now, Hong Kong still faces relevant risks.
"The early completion of 23 pieces of legislation, the early protection of national security." Hong Kong SAR Chief Executive Li Jiachao's words have long been the consensus of Hong Kong society. Therefore, in recent days, the relevant bills committees and subcommittees of the Legislative Council have worked overtime to scrutinize bills carefully, with a view to completing this "homework" as soon as possible and successfully.
What will happen to Hong Kong after the completion of 23 pieces of legislation?
At that time, the National Security Maintenance Ordinance, together with Hong Kong's national security law, will become the two "guardians" of Hong Kong's development and strengthen the legal barrier for safeguarding national security.
Tu Haiming, deputy director of the Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan and Overseas Chinese Committee of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and chairman of the Hong Kong New Era Development Think Tank, analyzed that to safeguard national security, we should not only fight against major crimes, but also involve restrictive measures such as "denial of entry". After the implementation of the National Security Law of Hong Kong, the "big loopholes" have been filled. The legislative provisions of Article 23 of the Basic Law can fill the dense "small loopholes" and prevent "small disasters" from becoming "big disasters".
By filling in the "small loopholes", Hong Kong can concentrate on developing its economy and improving its people's livelihood.
At the meeting on the 19th, Legislative Council member Chen Zuheng mentioned that since the implementation of the Hong Kong National Security Law, his friends from the business community and enterprises in different regions have expressed strong interest in exploring business in Hong Kong, even entering the market of the Guangdong Hong Kong Macao Greater Bay Area through Hong Kong. Many international events and exhibitions have also been located in Hong Kong, which is enough to prove that the international business community Enterprises are full of confidence in Hong Kong's economic prospects and business environment.
"The ordinance put a perfect end to the national security loophole that plagued Hong Kong." In the view of the legislators who participated in the meeting that day, the completion of 23 pieces of legislation will not only enable Hong Kong to have a safer development environment, show the charm of the "Pearl of the Orient" to the international community, but also protect the rights and freedoms enjoyed by citizens according to law and ensure "one country, two systems" We will practice stability and reach a far future, so that the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region can better integrate into the overall national development situation.
In his speech in the Legislative Council, the Chief Executive Li Jiachao expressed his gratitude to the President of the Legislative Council, Liang Junyan, for leading the whole Legislative Council, for supporting the necessity and urgency of enacting the National Security Ordinance, for ensuring that the deliberations were conducted in an all-round and orderly manner, and for the members of the Bills Committee and the House Committee.
Li Jiachao said that the review process was both high-quality and efficient, which reflected the highest value of "patriot governance of Hong Kong", so that the SAR could honor the sacred task of legislation in Article 23 of the Basic Law, so that Hong Kong could focus on economic development, improve people's livelihood, and jointly create a more prosperous and better home.
Reporter: Liu Dawei
