Beijing’s Top Hong Kong Official Lauds National Security Law

The Hong Kong national security law "completely smashed the Hong Kong version of 'color revolutions' plot,” the director of the State Council’s Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office said Friday at an event in Beijing.

Color revolutions refer to a long series of uprisings around the world aiming for regime change after the Cold War.

Changes in Hong Kong “showcased the power” of the legislation, which proved to “keep Hong Kong safe, secure and peaceful,” Xia Baolong, the senior official in charge of the special administrative region, said in a speech, according to a transcript (link in Chinese) released by the office.

“The Hong Kong national security law has fundamentally closed the loopholes in Hong Kong's system in guarding national security and cut off the ‘evil hands’ of internal and external hostile forces that endanger national security,” he said.

Last June, the standing committee of the National People’s Congress, the Chinese legislature’s top decision-making body, enacted the national security legislation for Hong Kong to restore stability after about a year of social unrest.

During the March “Two Sessions,” the country’s top annual political gatherings, the national legislature approved a decision to overhaul Hong Kong’s electoral system as part of a continuing effort to ensure that the semi-autonomous territory is governed by “patriots."

In his Friday speech, Xia said the special administrative region must strictly implement the principle of governing Hong Kong by “patriots,” and those with strong administrative abilities should be chosen.

Last year, the United States sanctioned 11 Chinese officials including Xia and Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam, citing their handling of policies in Hong Kong.

The U.S. reportedly planned to impose sanctions Friday on seven Chinese officials from China's Hong Kong liaison office, according to a Reuters report that cited two unnamed sources familiar with the matter.

The U.S. should stop interfering in Hong Kong affairs “in any way,” or China will make a “resolute, strong response,” Zhao Lijian, China’s Foreign Ministry spokesman, said Friday at a regular news briefing.

Contact reporter Cai Xuejiao (xuejiaocai@caixin.com) and editor Bob Simison (bobsimison@caixin.com)

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