Nation: HK seizes day for national security education

▶ Lack of awareness among youths led to instability, foreign manipulation

As Hong Kong for the first time celebrated the National Security Education Day on Thursday with unprecedented activities, local and central government officials vowed to remain vigilant to fend off national security risks, including those involving radical political figures and foreign hostile forces, after the national security law for Hong Kong served as “sword and shield” to close systemic loopholes that indulged violent protests in 2019. They also noted the improvement of the electoral system that will bring stability back to the city’s political life.

At the opening ceremony unveiling the day, officials hailed the national security law for Hong Kong and the ongoing reform of the electoral system as successes, which ended Hong Kong’s history of being defenseless in the face of national security threats and guaranteed social stability and Hong Kong’s future.

Hong Kong’s local legislative work for safeguarding national security has long been demonized by people with ulterior motives, turning the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region ( HKSAR) into a loophole of national security, HKSAR Chief Executive Carrie Lam told the opening ceremony.

Officials from the central government’s offices in Hong Kong also delivered the message of firmly defending national security in Hong Kong despite foreign sanctions or mounting external pressure.

Since the national security law for Hong Kong took effect, 100 people allegedly engaging in activities endangering national security have been arrested, Commissioner of Police Chris Tang Ping- keung told the Global Times in an exclusive interview on Thursday.

Various activities celebrating the day were held across the city in places such as schools, academies of the five disciplined services and communities.

The notion of national security was weak or even non- existent among a majority of Hong Kong people, especially young people, Lau Siu- kai, vice- president of the Chinese Association of Hong Kong and Macao Studies, told the Global Times.

They opposed strenuously and unscrupulously the introduction of not only national security education in schools and communities, but also any form of national education, Basic Law education and education on the Constitution, Lau noted.

“Events in Hong Kong in the past decade have starkly demonstrated the detrimental consequences of the absence of national security education in Hong Kong,” he said.

From the social turmoil in 2019, Hong Kong was proved to have become a base of subversion threatening China’s sovereignty and overall national security, according to officials and experts. External and local hostile forces have aggressively exploited loopholes in the national security situation of Hong Kong to wreak havoc on the city and on the nation in general.

Senior officials also said it’s not time to let down one’s guard amid growing tensions with certain countries that advocate a Cold War mentality and continue manipulation on China- related topics such as Xinjiang and Taiwan, according to senior officials.

Officials vowed to firmly defend national security in Hong Kong despite foreign sanctions or mounting external pressure.