On April 15, Hong Kong celebrates for the second time National Security Education Day, which is marked to appreciate our national security work and its significance to our country as well as Hong Kong. This special day is also a reminder to all Hong Kong citizens about our responsibilities toward protecting the nation.
The National Security Law for Hong Kong has been in service for almost two years since its passage on June 30, 2020. It is the underpinning legislation that enables our city to adopt a solid and comprehensive approach in national security that was nonexistent before.
On the whole, capital markets and investors view our strengthened national security measures in a favorable way. In 2021, the Hong Kong Stock Exchange posted new records of trading volume and IPO issuances. Global financial institutions and asset managers acknowledge that Hong Kong has resumed stability from two years ago, and it now plays a greater role as a super-connector in the fast-moving markets.
In addition, our sound and robust legal system continues to be well recognized across the world. Hong Kong ranks third in Asia and 16th globally in the World Justice Project’s Rule of Law Index. Contrary to some ill-intentioned criticism, our National Security Law further safeguards the rights and interests of residents and businesses in Hong Kong, not the opposite.
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Yet we must not be full of ourselves and become complacent. National Security Education Day presents a good opportunity for us to reflect upon the work done so far and come up with practical ideas to keep improving the national security in Hong Kong.
Hong Kong ought to be proud of what we have achieved and, at the same time, be vigilant of unforeseen risks that may threaten our governance
First and foremost, I would urge for policy continuity in national security. At the time of writing, the nomination period of Hong Kong’s chief executive election is on the go. A new leader of the city is elected in May, and a new special administrative region government will be formed afterward.
During this transition, it is critical that matters related to national security are dealt with policy continuity and consistency. To be more specific, the incoming SAR government should carry on with the enactment of laws according to Article 23 of the Hong Kong Basic Law and fulfill our constitutional responsibility. Ideally, the enactment can be completed by the end of 2022.
The enactment would complement very well our existing National Security Law. In fact, Article 7 of the National Security Law explicitly requested Hong Kong to refine and complete relevant laws as soon as possible.
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Currently, there are five out of seven categories of crime that need to be prohibited under Article 23 of the Basic Law but are not yet fully covered by the National Security Law. They are treason, sedition, theft of State secrets, foreign political organizations or bodies conducting political activities in Hong Kong, and political organizations or bodies of Hong Kong establishing ties with foreign political organizations or bodies.
National security is key to protect our city’s long-term prosperity, and there should be no compromise to the bottom line of Hong Kong’s governance. John Lee Ka-chiu, the former chief secretary of Hong Kong who is running in the chief executive election, said he seeks to “consolidate a firm foundation for Hong Kong’s development”. National security is precisely the cornerstone of this foundation.
Secondly, Articles 9 and 10 of the National Security Law pointed to a need to enhance the education and promotion of national security in schools, social, media and internet-related organizations. It is often overlooked that within Hong Kong’s public sector, there are hundreds of advisory and statutory bodies participating in public affairs beyond the core civil service.
Unfortunately, a standard set of oath-taking requirements or national security education is nowhere to be seen in such advisory and statutory bodies. Loopholes do exist in certain public organizations that may put national security of Hong Kong at risk.
To address this problem, my recommendation is to set up a unit within the government to coordinate and provide suitable training among advisory and statutory bodies. The responsible unit shall ensure all members of these public-facing organizations declare they uphold the Basic Law, bear allegiance to Hong Kong, be dedicated to their duties, and be responsible to the SAR government.
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On a similar note, I would also suggest developing a full set of national security curricula and education materials from primary school to university for consistency purpose. A regular review mechanism ought to be in place for better understanding the effectiveness of these materials and gathering feedback from schools.
Sharing a less-known fact, April 15 is not only Hong Kong’s National Security Education Day, but also a nationwide event packed with creative and diverse activities catered to different age groups in all cities of the Chinese mainland. Hong Kong can learn from their interactive games, real-time Q&A on social media platforms, and TV entertainment programs that bring up national security themes.
Last but not least, despite the substantial progress Hong Kong has made since passing our National Security Law, misunderstanding still persists among many foreign countries. This implies Hong Kong’s external communication is far from sufficient, and we must be more proactive in this regard.
Personally, I have delivered speeches on several occasions facing the international community, most recently at the online side event during the 49th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council on March 16, 2022, with John Lee, members of the Legislative Council, and community leaders. I feel strongly obliged to make my voice heard and share the authentic story of Hong Kong’s transformation in the past two years.
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Hence, I wish to see the incoming SAR government keeps investing more resources to enhance the dialogue between Hong Kong and the outside world. The strategic benefits of maintaining good international relations are clear. And Hong Kong is well equipped with bilingual talents to support this mission of promoting our national security to a global audience.
Hong Kong ought to be proud of what we have achieved and, at the same time, be vigilant of unforeseen risks that may threaten our governance. Let us be our own tough critic and closely examine our national security work from time to time.
In my view, Hong Kong can do better by enacting legislation as per Article 23 of the Basic Law, implementing standard national security requirements in statutory bodies, developing a full national security curriculum for schools, and being more vocal on national security topics in the international community.
Gary Wong Chi-him is a board member of the Chinese Association of Hong Kong and Macao Studies.