- The city’s chief executive defended the Beijing-imposed law against criticism at a day-long event celebrating its anniversary
- She also said it stabilised the city following the 2019 protests and improved its business environment
Chief Executive Carrie Lam said the national security law has improved Hong Kong and made it more stable. Photo: BloombergHong Kong’s chief executive defended the national security law today, saying it has stabilised the city in its first year of existence, improved its business environment and preserved press freedoms.
Kicking off a Monday forum devoted to the Beijing-imposed legislation, Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor also stressed the importance of educating the city’s youth about the law, and reiterated that it had only targeted a “small minority”.
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Accusations that the law had infringed on people’s rights – including freedom of speech – following the arrest of dozens of opposition activists were groundless, Lam told attendees at the day-long Department of Justice event dubbed “security brings prosperity”.
She also took implicit aim at criticism from abroad that followed the recent closure of the Apple Daily newspaper after its top executives were arrested – accused of colluding with foreign forces – and HK$18 million in assets were frozen under the law.
“The security law has only targeted a small minority … Hong Kong has continued to enjoy press freedom. The number of media outlets registered at the government’s information service system has increased, and journalists continue to monitor the government,” she said.
“There are about 9,000 local and foreign companies in Hong Kong … After the government explained the law to them, their worries about the security law diminished.”
The law, Lam said, had not only put an end to the social unrest of 2019, it was also the guarantor of the “one country, two systems” model the city had flourished under.
She specifically noted that foreign investors, including British and European business leaders in Hong Kong, were showing great interest in China’s 14th five-year plan and anxiously awaiting the reopening of the border with the mainland.