Hong Kong Parliament Controlled by Pro-China Forces, Is the 'Hong Kong Version of the National Security Law' Being Pushed?
[Asia Economy Reporter Song Seung-seop] The possibility of a Hong Kong version of the National Security Law being promoted in the pro-China dominated Hong Kong Legislative Council has increased. This comes as Chief Executive Carrie Lam directly mentioned the necessity.
According to major foreign media on the 20th, Carrie Lam, Hong Kong Chief Executive, emphasized, "Many years have passed since Article 23 of the Hong Kong Basic Law was suspended in 2003, and since the Hong Kong National Security Law was enacted last year, I think that law needs to be updated." This statement was made in response to a question at a Legislative Council election press conference asking whether Article 23 of the Basic Law would be reinstated as a government agenda.
Article 23 of the Basic Law stipulates that crimes such as treason, secession, incitement to riot, and subversion of state power can be punished with imprisonment for up to 30 years. It also prohibits foreign political organizations from conducting political activities in Hong Kong or Hong Kong political groups from associating with foreign political organizations.
The Chinese government holds the position that if the Hong Kong National Security Law is to be supplemented, the Hong Kong government must directly enact a separate supplementary law. China previously enacted the Hong Kong National Security Law in June last year. This law allows for life imprisonment as the maximum penalty for crimes related to secession, subversion of state power, terrorist activities, and collusion with foreign forces.
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So far, the Hong Kong government has attempted to enact security laws in 2003 and 2019 but failed. In 2003, the bill was withdrawn after half a million citizens protested against it. In 2019, opposition to the extradition bill escalated into large-scale anti-government protests, which prompted the Chinese government to first enact the Hong Kong National Security Law.
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