Restore and Preserve Stability in Hong Kong Through Legislation

以法安邦护香江

Chinese Ambassador Ma Xinmin to Sudan Publishes Article on Khartoum Today

驻苏丹大使马新民在《今日喀土穆报》发表署名文章

3 August 2020

2020年8月3日

On June 30, 2020, China unveiled the Law of the People’s Republic of China on Safeguarding National Security in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and announced its implementation in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), a vital step in establishing and improving the legal system and enforcement mechanisms for safeguarding the national security in Hong Kong and an important milestone for the practice of “one country, two systems” in the HKSAR. The enactment and enforcement of the National Security Law for Hong Kong gains strong support from the global force for justice as the legislation serves the interests of 1.4 billion Chinese people and is desired and embraced by the overwhelming majority of Hong Kong citizens.

2020年6月30日，中国出台《中华人民共和国香港特别行政区维护国家安全法》，并在香港特区公布实施，迈出了建立健全香港维护国家安全的法律制度和执行机制的重要一步，成为香港特区落实“一国两制”的重要里程碑。香港国安法的制定和实施是全国14亿人民利之所系，也是绝大多数港人心之所向，获得国际社会正义力量的大力支持。

The National Security Law for Hong Kong is aimed at improving the “one country, two systems” institutional system and enacted to maintain the constitutional order in Hong Kong. Safeguarding national security is integral to practicing “one country, two systems”, and enacting national security laws is the responsibility of the central government. Over the past 23 years since Hong Kong’s return to China, the duty of the HKSAR government under the Constitution to enact and pass its own national security legislation to prohibit acts that are harmful to national security, as stipulated by Article 23 of the Basic Law, has not yet been fulfilled. In the face of the real threat to China’s national security that has emerged in Hong Kong, the National People’s Congress (NPC) and its standing committee have the authority and indeed the responsibility to perform the constitutional duty for safeguarding national security. The National Security Law for Hong Kong clarifies the central government’s overarching responsibility and the HKSAR government’s constitutional duty on the issue of safeguarding national security. Through establishing and improving the legal system and enforcement mechanisms for safeguarding national security in the special administrative region, the provisions of the Constitution and of the Basic Law regarding the safeguarding of national security are delivered to the ground. The national security legislation that embodies the principles of “one country” and respects “two systems” introduces improvements to the system of institutions related to the safeguarding of national security in Hong Kong under the “one country, two systems” policy and the Basic Law, and effectively protects the constitutional order as defined in the Constitution and the Basic Law.

香港国安法旨在完善“一国两制”制度体系，是维护香港宪制秩序之法。维护国家安全是“一国两制”的应有之义，制定国家安全法属于中央事权。香港回归23年，香港特区自行制定基本法第23条有关禁止危害国家安全犯罪法律的宪制责任至今没有完成。面对香港发生的危害中国国家安全的现实威胁，中国全国人大及其常委会有权力也有责任履行维护国家安全的宪制责任。香港国安法明确了在维护国家安全问题上中央的根本责任、特区的宪制责任，通过建立健全香港特区维护国家安全的法律制度和执行机制，将宪法和基本法有关维护国家安全的规定落到实处。该法体现“一国”，尊重“两制”，不仅完善了“一国两制”和基本法有关香港特区维护国家安全的制度体系，也有力维护了宪法和香港基本法确定的宪制秩序。

The National Security Law for Hong Kong is aimed at plugging current legal loopholes in Hong Kong and enacted to build a solid institutional defense for national security. It is obvious that Hong Kong is confronted with legal loopholes and the absence of enforcement mechanisms in the safeguarding of national security, leaving itself defenseless in this regard. The turbulence over proposed legislative amendments last year highlighted the national security risks haunted by Hong Kong. The formulation of the National Security Law for Hong Kong by the NPC Standing Committee is intended to prevent, suppress and impose punishment for the offences of secession, subversion, organization and perpetration of terrorist activities, and collusion with a foreign country or with external elements to endanger national security, which provides strong institutional guarantee for precautions against national security risks to be taken by the HKSAR government. The legislation, seen as a sword above an extremely small number of offenders that seriously jeopardize national security, will act as a deterrent to external forces in an attempt to interfere with affairs relating to the HKSAR. It will surely shore up confidence of the international community in the special administrative region and create more secure and stable domestic and international environments for future development of Hong Kong.

香港国安法旨在堵塞现有法律漏洞，是筑牢国家安全制度屏障之法。香港特区在维护国家安全方面存在明显的法律制度漏洞和执行机制缺失，使香港在维护国家安全方面处于“不设防”状态，去年发生的“修例风波”凸显了香港在维护国家安全方面存在的风险。中国全国人大常委会制定香港国安法，旨在防范、制止和惩治分裂国家、颠覆国家政权、恐怖活动、勾结外国或者境外势力危害国家安全等四类犯罪行为，有效筑牢香港特区防控国家安全风险的制度屏障。对极少数严重危害国家安全的犯罪分子高悬利剑，并对干预香港事务的外部势力形成震慑，必将增强国际社会对香港的信心，为香港的发展创造更加安全稳定的内外环境。

The National Security Law for Hong Kong is aimed at safeguarding the interests of the residents of Hong Kong and enacted to protect the basic human rights of the vast majority of them. It clearly stipulates that human rights shall be respected and protected in safeguarding national security in the HKSAR, adding that the rights and freedoms, including the freedoms of speech, of the press, of publication, of association, of assembly, of procession and of demonstration, which the residents of the HKSAR enjoy under the Basic Law and the provisions of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights as applied to Hong Kong, shall be protected in accordance with the law. This legislation will provide strong institutional safeguards for the long-term peace, stability and prosperity of Hong Kong. Imposing sanctions against offences that put national security in danger will create a safe, stable and orderly environment for the Hong Kong residents to better enjoy and exercise their basic rights and freedoms. Additionally, the personal and property safety and various rights and freedoms of the Hong Kong residents, as well as the legitimate rights and interests of foreign businesses and foreigners in Hong Kong, will be better protected.

香港国安法着眼于港人利益，是保护广大港人基本人权之法。该法明确规定香港特区维护国家安全应当尊重和保障人权，依法保护香港特区居民根据基本法和《公民权利及政治权利国际公约》、《经济、社会及文化权利国际公约》适用于香港的有关规定享有的言论、新闻、出版、结社、集会、游行、示威等权利和自由。该法为保障香港长治久安和长期繁荣稳定提供强大制度保障，通过惩治危害国家安全的犯罪行为，不仅为广大香港居民更好享有和行使基本权利和自由提供安全环境和稳定秩序，而且更好保护香港居民的生命财产安全和各种权利自由不受侵犯，更好维护在港外国企业和人员的正当合法权益。

The National Security Law for Hong Kong is aimed at fostering law-based governance of Hong Kong and enacted to ensure effective handling of national security cases in relation to Hong Kong. It explicitly prescribes that the principle of the rule of law shall be adhered to in safeguarding national security in the HKSAR and the HKSAR government bears the primary responsibility for safeguarding national security in the special administrative region. Meanwhile, the central government retains the power to handle, in accordance with the law, a tiny minority of cases endangering national security, under certain circumstances, while the HKSAR government has the jurisdiction to process the vast majority of cases on its own. The central government jurisdiction will be invoked only when the law enforcement and judicial authorities of the HKSAR are unable to effectively exercise jurisdiction over the cases. The HKSAR government establishes the Committee for Safeguarding National Security which shall have a National Security Advisor. The Police Force and the Department of Justice of the HKSAR respectively set up a specialized law enforcement division and a specialized prosecution division to deal with crimes endangering national security. The Chief Executive of the HKSAR appoints judges responsible for hearing cases that jeopardize national security. The central government sets up the Office for Safeguarding National Security of the Central People’s Government of the People’s Republic of China in the HKSAR charged with investigating a very narrow category of offences that put national security at stake. The Supreme People’s Procuratorate shall designate a prosecuting body to prosecute the cases, and the Supreme People’s Court shall designate a court to adjudicate them. The law enforcement and judicial forces of the HKSAR government and of the central government together underpin the framework of institutions and mechanisms for safeguarding national security in Hong Kong. With clear division of work and jurisdiction, the two sides will carry out law enforcement and judicial activities in accordance with their respective laws, and meanwhile, complement, cooperate and coordinate with each other. In this way, offences of all kinds that undermine national security in Hong Kong will be handled in a timely and effective manner.

香港国安法旨在推进依法治港，是有效处理涉港安全案件之法。该法明确规定香港特区维护国家安全应当遵循法治原则，规定香港特区对维护国家安全承担主要责任，同时中央保留在特定情形下依法办理极少数危害国家安全犯罪案件，绝大多数案件由香港特区处理，只有香港特区执法机关和司法机关不能有效实行管辖的特定情形，才由中央行使管辖权。香港特区政府依法设立维护国家安全委员会和国家安全事务顾问，警务处和律政司设立专门的国家安全犯罪案件的执法和检控部门，行政长官指定负责审判危害国家安全犯罪案件的法官。中央政府在香港特区成立驻港国家安全公署负责极少数危害国家安全犯罪案件的调查，并规定由最高人民检察院和最高人民法院分别指定检察院和法院，分别负责有关案件的检控和审判。特区和中央两支执法、司法队伍共同构成香港特区维护国家安全的制度和机制体系，两者按照各自法律开展执法和审判活动，既做到分工明确，管辖划分清晰，又相互补充、协作和配合，确保各类涉港安全案件得到及时有效处理。

As the Chinese saying goes, people with petty shrewdness attend to trivial matters, while people with great wisdom attend to governance of institutions. We are convinced that the gradual delivery of the National Security Law for Hong Kong to the ground will ensure the constitutional order of the special administrative region as defined in the Constitution and the Basic Law, better safeguard the rights and freedoms of Hong Kong residents that they are legally entitled to, and thus preserve the long-lasting peace, stability and prosperity in Hong Kong. Hong Kong is bound to see a turning point to move from turmoil to stability and normality and usher into a new phase for the sound and sustained implementation of “one country, two systems”.

“小智治事，大智治制。”我们坚信，随着香港国安法逐步落地生根，将有效维护宪法和基本法所确立的特区宪制秩序，更好地保障香港居民依法享有的权利和自由，确保香港长治久安和长期繁荣稳定。香港必将迎来从乱到治、重返正轨的转折点，迈向“一国两制”行稳致远的新时期。