Envoy slams UK coverage of security law for HK
China’s ambassador to the United Kingdom has condemned British media reports on the National Security Law for Hong Kong as “full of misinterpretation, misunderstanding, and even distortion”.
Liu Xiaoming made the comments in an online news conference about the law for the special administrative region, or SAR, and said he wants the British public to understand the law “comprehensively, objectively, and accurately”.
He explained that the legislation is an important “milestone” in the implementation of the “one country, two systems” idea because it powerfully supports the sustained implementation of the principle.
Liu began by explaining why the law was necessary, recalling the unrest in Hong Kong that started in June last year and left the city “defenseless” against “anti-China forces”.
He said some Western media outlets portrayed the demonstrations as
“peaceful assembly” and part of a “pro-democracy movement”, but he said certain groups participated in beatings, the destruction of property, looting, violence against police officers, and the storming of the city’s Legislative Council building — all far removed from peaceful demonstrations.
“Such activities trampled on the rule of law, undermined social stability, hit the economy hard and put national security at serious risk,” said Liu in explaining the need for the law.
Liu went on to say that “‘One country’ is a precondition for ‘two systems’; ‘two systems’ is subordinate to and derived from ‘one country’”.
He said the law does not contravene that principle.
The ambassador said “one country” needs to be safe and secure for “two systems” to work properly.
Liu explained the relationship between the new law and the high degree of autonomy within the special administrative region.
“The national security law fully integrates the comprehensive jurisdiction of the central government and a high degree of autonomy enjoyed by Hong Kong SAR,” he said.
“It does not alter the current capitalist system in Hong Kong. It does not change the high degree of autonomy and the legal system in the SAR. It doesn’t affect Hong Kong’s administrative, legislative or independent judicial power, including that of final adjudication.”
Four types of offenses
According to the full text of the legislation, it only targets four types of offenses: secession, subversion, terrorist activities, and collusion with a foreign country or with external elements to endanger national security.
“The law targets a very few criminals but protects the great majority of Hong Kong people,” Liu said.
“This law clearly stipulates human rights should be respected and protected in safeguarding national security in Hong Kong.”
Liu said that the rights and freedoms, “including the freedom of speech, of the press, of publication, of association, of assembly, of procession and of demonstration”, which residents of the region enjoy under the SAR’s Basic Law — along with the provisions of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, as applied to Hong Kong — “shall be protected in accordance with the law”.
He cited a petition in support of the new law organized by various sectors of Hong Kong society that collected nearly 3 million signatures in eight days. “This bears full witness to the overwhelming aspiration of Hong Kong people for stability and security,” Liu said.
In response to the British government’s offer to give British National (Overseas), passport holders in Hong Kong a path to British citizenship, he said such actions fail to fulfill the UK’s international obligations.