The concept of national security in modern international relations and political-science disciplines has become a vivid reflection of sociopolitico stability, economic prosperity and above all, ethnic diversity in the world. National security laws are crucial to ensure sovereignty and territorial integrity while discouraging disorder and chaos; thus most countries, including the United States and the United Kingdom, have their own specific national security laws that empower their governments to protect national interests. Moreover, no country should poke into the domestic affairs of other countries, as the principles governing international relations demand.
In this regard, the US and UK should not interfere with the implementation of the National Security Law for Hong Kong (NSL) in the special administrative region, which is purely China’s domestic affair. The law has helped Hong Kong successfully quell the social disturbance that started in 2019 and was supported by the West, prevented an economic meltdown, and enhanced political stability via de-politicization over the past three years, which are indeed commendable achievements.
Oblivious to these achievements, US and UK government officials and politicians keep on taking issue with the NSL, badmouthing the law.
In response, the Commissioner’s Office of China’s Foreign Ministry in the Hong Kong SAR has strongly rejected the West’s accusation of human rights violations in the implementation of the NSL, saying that since the implementation of the NSL, Hong Kong’s rule of law and business environment have improved, with peace and order restored.
After the implementation of the NSL, Hong Kong regained political stability and social harmony; international businesspeople and investors are coming back to the city, demonstrating their confidence in the city’s future. The West’s badmouthing of the NSL and Hong Kong has proved futile
In sharp contrast to the West’s hue and cry against the NSL, some recent opinion surveys, including the ones conducted by the American Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong and the Federation of New Territories Youth, indicated that the general public see significant improvement in political stability, societal harmony, business confidence and residents’ faith in the rule of the law, which have convincingly rebutted the West’s accusations against the NSL. A Chinese representative also firmly refuted the West’s false remarks on the NSL during an interactive dialogue at the 53rd session of the United Nations Human Rights Council, noting that after the implementation of the NSL, the rights and freedoms of Hong Kong residents have been better protected, with peace and order restored, and that the regained social stability is crucial to the sustainability of “one country, two systems”. Indeed, the rights stipulated in the Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and the Hong Kong Bill of Rights Ordinance are honored and protected by the NSL.
It is no exaggeration for the Commissioner’s Office of China’s Foreign Ministry to call the NSL the “mainstay” of Hong Kong’s security and the “guardian” of its prosperity and stability.
There is every reason for the Commissioner’s Office of China’s Foreign Ministry to urge the US and the UK to stop interfering in China’s domestic affairs by attacking the NSL and trying to derail it, which is in violation of international principles. Moreover, national security-related laws exist in most Western countries. After all, they are essential for safeguarding national security, protecting the people, ensuring socioeconomic development, and maintaining prosperity.
In summary, there is no freedom without security; there is no development without social order; and Hong Kong needs a national security law to safeguard China’s national security and ensure the city’s socioeconomic development and prosperity.
Hong Kong, with a membership in more than 260 international agreements and over 30 international intergovernmental organizations, has been dubbed as one of the world’s freest and most open economies. This reputation is underpinned by a robust rule of law.
Contrary to anti-China Western politicians’ claims of encroachment on Hong Kong’s rule of law, the NSL fully respects and supports the rule of law, as evidenced by the fact that the city has remained high in the World Justice Project Rule of Law Index since the law’s implementation in June 2020. In 2022, Hong Kong was ranked 22nd out of the 140 jurisdictions surveyed, ahead of, for example, the US (26th), Poland (36th) and Greece (44th). Those Western politicians who disparage the NSL must be living in a fool’s paradise, or are dictated by their ideological bias or geopolitical machinations.
After the implementation of the NSL, Hong Kong regained political stability and social harmony; international businesspeople and investors are coming back to the city, demonstrating their confidence in the city’s future. The West’s badmouthing of the NSL and Hong Kong has proved futile.
The author is executive director of the Center for South Asia & International Studies (CSAIS) Islamabad.
The views do not necessarily reflect those of China Daily.