NATIONAL SECURITY FORUM HELD

The Department of Justice today hosted the National Security Law Legal Forum under the theme “thrive with security”.

The forum was organised to commemorate the second anniversary of the Decision of the National People’s Congress on Establishing & Improving the Legal System & Enforcement Mechanisms for the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region to Safeguard National Security, also known as the 528 Decision. Senior government officials and world-renowned legal and financial experts were invited to share their insights about the National Security Law (NSL) and national security issues to enhance the public’s understanding.

Chief Executive Carrie Lam, Deputy Director of the Hong Kong & Macao Affairs Office of the State Council Wang Linggui, and Deputy Director of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the Hong Kong SAR Luo Yonggang delivered welcome remarks at the opening ceremony.

In addition, Deputy Director of the Legislative Affairs Commission of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress Zhang Yong, Head of the Office for Safeguarding National Security of the Central People’s Government in the Hong Kong SAR Zheng Yanxiong, Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the Hong Kong SAR Liu Guangyuan, former Deputy Director of the Hong Kong & Macao Affairs Office of the State Council Deng Zhonghua, and Secretary for Justice Teresa Cheng gave keynote speeches.

The keynote speeches touched on the legal basis and significance of the 528 Decision, the development of the legal system in safeguarding national security in the Hong Kong SAR after the enactment of the NSL, and the way forward for the further establishment and improvement of the city’s legal system to protect national security, the department said.

The Secretary for Justice highlighted that national security is the cornerstone for promoting national prosperity and strength, assuring a good life for the people, maintaining social harmony and stability, and realising the concepts of “security brings prosperity” and “thrive with security”.

The NSL has brought the city back on track and created a favourable environment for the development of international businesses, trade and finance, legal services etc, she explained.

The forum also included three panel sessions where legal and financial experts as well as government officials had in-depth discussions on the comparative study of cases under the NSL and national security cases in foreign jurisdictions, frontier issues in safeguarding national security, and the refinement of the Hong Kong SAR’s legal framework on ensuring national security, the department added.

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