Hong Kong File photo

The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government has already begun the preparatory work for the legislation of Article 23 as the city has the constitutional responsibility of establishing its own law to prohibit acts and activities that endanger national security, the HKSAR Chief Executive John Lee said on Sunday. 

In a video address at the launch ceremony of the city's national security knowledge challenge test for schools, Lee said that the aim is to complete the legislation of Article 23 in 2024 and link it with the national security law for Hong Kong to establish an effective national security legal framework, thus perfecting the legal system and execution mechanisms to uphold national security.

The activity is being held ahead of December 4, which also marks China's Constitution Day. 

The Constitution and the Basic Law together form the constitutional order of the HKSAR. The Constitution is a crucial foundation for the enactment of the national security law for Hong Kong. It contains specific provisions for maintaining national security, including those related to safeguarding the nation's fundamental system, maintaining national unity, ethnic solidarity, protecting state secrets, as well as maintaining the sovereignty, security, and developmental interests of the nation, Lee said.

Article 23 of the Basic Law requires the HKSAR government to enact laws on its own to prohibit seven categories of acts that endanger national security, including treason, sedition, subversion and theft of state secrets.

Educating Hong Kong residents to proactively safeguard national security is a significant challenge, Hong Kong's Secretary for Justice Paul Lam Ting-kwok said while addressing the launch ceremony. 

Lam said that he hopes that residents would not harbor misunderstandings about the national security law for Hong Kong due to malicious smears or attacks by others, nor should they comply with the law solely out of fear of legal sanctions.

The HKSAR government hopes that every Hong Kong resident clearly understands that national security is the cornerstone of a stable and prosperous nation and the safeguard of public well-being. Respecting and abiding by national security laws is not only a legal obligation but also a civic duty, Lam said. 

Secretary for Security Tang Ping-keung also emphasized the importance of effectively promoting national security education among young people. 

The national security knowledge challenge test for schools organized jointly by the Security Bureau, Department of Justice, and Education Bureau, combines the legal expertise of the Department of Justice with the educational network of schools and students managed by the Education Bureau. 

In this academic year, the education bureau will organize in-campus seminars to deepen teachers' understanding of national security. These seminars will cover a range of topics including key knowledge about national security, important legal overviews, the comprehensive view of national security, key areas of national security, and subject-related examples. 

The aim is to encourage teachers and students in the city to actively promote national security education, explore and understand the country's history, culture, and latest developments, while strengthening their knowledge of the country's Constitution, Basic Law, and the national security law for Hong Kong, according to Jeff Sze Chun-fai, Under Secretary for Education. 

Global Times