Hong Kong leader John Lee said Wednesday the semi-autonomous city would create its own national security law in 2024, four years after Beijing imposed sweeping legislation aimed at silencing dissent.
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In a three-hour-plus policy address, the Beijing-anointed leader unveiled measures aimed at revitalising Hong Kong’s Covid-ravaged economy and flagging population growth, while asserting the need to protect the Chinese city from “external forces”.
“Some countries are undermining China and the implementation of ‘one country, two systems’ in Hong Kong for their own benefits,” he said, referring to the governance model agreed by Britain and China under which the city would keep some autonomy and freedoms following the 1997 handover.
“External forces continue to meddle in Hong Kong affairs,” he said.
“We must guard against those seeking to provoke conflict… and remain alert to acts of ‘soft resistance’ in different forms,” said Lee, using a phrase that China and Hong Kong officials have started deploying in speeches to denote anti-government actions.
Massive pro-democracy protests rocked the finance hub in 2019, bringing hundreds of thousands of people to the streets to call for greater freedoms and more autonomy from mainland China.
In response, Beijing imposed a national security law to punish four major crimes — secession, subversion, terrorism and collusion with foreign forces — with sentences ranging up to life in prison.
Security chief-turned-leader Lee — who is under US sanctions for his role in stamping out the protests — said Hong Kong would “continue to safeguard national security”.
“The government is pressing ahead to draw up effective legislative options and will complete the legislative exercise in 2024 to fulfil our constitutional duty,” Lee said.
Under the Basic Law — the city’s mini-constitution — Hong Kong is…
