Central govt office for safeguarding national security in HK inaugurated

The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region stands ready to safeguard national security after the central government's office overseeing national security affairs in the SAR was opened on Wednesday.

With the establishment of enforcement procedures and major agencies for the National Security Law, Hong Kong has bid farewell to the days when it was defenseless in issues of national security, said Luo Huining, the central government's liaison chief in the SAR.

After the security law was enacted on June 30, the SAR government founded a committee to take charge of national security work and divisions to investigate and file charges in related cases. The rules for the law's enforcement took effect soon after.

Luo, who is also the committee's national security adviser, spoke on Wednesday at the inauguration ceremony of the Office for Safeguarding National Security of the Central People's Government of the People's Republic of China in the Hong Kong SAR. Luo said he believes the office will serve as an "envoy of Hong Kong security", and "a gatekeeper of national security".

He said that with the law enacted and its enforcement procedures in place, it can effectively prevent acts endangering national security in Hong Kong, keep the practice of "one country, two systems" from being distorted and ensure it remains filled with dynamism.

The office's major tasks are to analyze the security situation in Hong Kong, oversee and guide the SAR government's national security work and gather intelligence. Its staff was dispatched by the central government's national security authorities.

The office can also exercise jurisdiction over a small number of cases under three circumstances: when a complex case involves foreign or external forces, when the SAR government is unable to enforce the national security law or when there is a major and imminent threat to national security.

Zheng Yanxiong, director of the office, pledged that it will carry out its duties and accept supervision in strict accordance with the lawto ensure that the legitimate rights of individuals and organizations will be honored.

Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor pledged at the ceremony to form coordination procedures between the office and the SAR government's national security agencies at all levels, including the top-level committee she chairs.

The Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council said in a statement it will offer full support to the new office as it undertakes "glorious missions and heavy responsibilities". It said it will work closely with the office, as well as other SAR-level agencies.

Prominent political and legal figures said the office's establishment is of great significance.

Former city security chief Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee, who also attended the ceremony, said the office staff's experience in national security affairs will help the city better assess its national security situation and collect related intelligence.

Barrister Lawrence Ma Yankwok said the office will play a key role in Hong Kong's national security work because it will be able to collect information that is beyond the reach of the Hong Kong government and assist the police in handling difficult cases.

Tam Yiu-chung, a Hong Kong member of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, the nation's top legislature, which drafted the National Security Law, said the founding of the office is a major gift to Hong Kong that will offer great assistance to the city in combating national security crimes.