National Security Law ensures Hong Kong's peace, prosperity

It is alarmist and politically biased to claim that the implementation of the National Security Law for Hong Kong in 2020 has assimilated the special administrative region into the mainland and thus affects its status as an international financial center, a senior official said Tuesday.

Huang Liuquan, the deputy director of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council, made the remark at a conference in Beijing about the implementation of the "one country, two systems" policy in the Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions over the past 10 years.

All countries have their own laws to safeguard their national security, and the National Security Law for Hong Kong is no different from those in other regions, he said.

Huang said that in a recent poll in Hong Kong, 71.9 percent of respondents said they believe that after the National Security Law for Hong Kong was implemented in the city, the rule of law was restored, people returned to living more peaceful lives and the business environment improved.

"The implementation of the National Security Law for Hong Kong has strengthened people's confidence in the practice of 'one country, two systems' in Hong Kong," he said.

The central government has always valued Hong Kong's unique advantages of being backed by the motherland while being connected to the world, he said, adding that efforts have been made to help the city to consolidate its position as an international financial, shipping and trade center and to establish a free, open and regulated business environment.

Some recent reports have shown that the international community recognizes Hong Kong's status as the freest economy and the most competitive region in the world, Huang said.

Canada's Fraser Institute, for example, continued to rank Hong Kong at the top of 165 economies in its recently released Economic Freedom of the World: 2022 Annual Report.

"The facts fully demonstrate that the National Security Law will not undermine Hong Kong's economic freedom. Instead, it provides a very solid legal guarantee for Hong Kong to maintain prosperity and stability and consolidate its competitive edge," he said.

Huang also denied the claim that Hong Kong's 1.6 percent drop in population, to around 7.29 million, in the past year was due to a wave of emigration, saying that there were many reasons for the decline.

Wang Linggui, also a deputy director of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council, said at the conference that "one country, two systems" is a great initiative of socialism with Chinese characteristics and has been tested and proved time and again.

He said that China's invariable policy is to fully and accurately implement "one country, two systems" and, as President Xi Jinping said at a meeting celebrating the 25th anniversary of Hong Kong's return to the motherland on July 1, there is no reason to change such a good system, and it must be adhered to over the long run.