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BEIJING: Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi expressed hope that Britain will respect China’s legitimate right to safeguard national security in Hong Kong during a phone conversation with British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab.
China and Britain, as two major countries with global influence, share the common responsibility of safeguarding world peace and development, Wang said, adding that strengthening mutually-beneficial cooperation in a wide range of fields between the two sides is in the fundamental and long-term interests of the two peoples.
Noting that international peace and strategic stability are disrupted and damaged by unilateralism, Wang said the two countries shoulder the responsibility of upholding multilateralism and jointly safeguarding the international system with the United Nations at its core and the international order based on international law.
Hong Kong affairs are purely China’s internal affairs and no outside interference is allowed, Wang said, pointing out that maintaining national security in Hong Kong concerns China’s core interests, thereby a major issue of principle that must be adhered to.
The central government is responsible for upholding national security in China, as is the case in any other country, Wang said.
While the central government authorizes the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region to enact laws on its own to safeguard national security through Article 23 of the Basic Law, it does not change the fact that safeguarding national security is within the purview of the central authorities, Wang said.
Faced with the actual harm and serious threat to the national security in Hong Kong, the National People’s Congress (NPC) has decisively introduced new national security legislation for application in Hong Kong, which will help fill the obvious loopholes and long-term deficiencies in such area for Hong Kong as soon as possible, he added, adding that such a move is reasonable, legal and imperative.
Wang stressed that the national security legislation for Hong Kong aims to better implement “one country, two systems,” adding that Article 1 of the decision passed by the NPC makes clearly that the principles of “one country, two systems,” “Hong Kong people governing Hong Kong” and a high degree of autonomy will be fully and faithfully honored.
This is another solemn commitment made by China’s highest organ of state power to uphold the principle of “one country, two systems” in the highest legal form of NPC legislation, Wang said, adding that China will never accept the groundless accusation that the national security legislation will change “one country, two systems.”
Wang said the national security legislation for Hong Kong targets a very small number of “Hong Kong independence” separatists and violent elements, adding that the legislation will better ensure various rights and freedom of Hong Kong citizens, and also make all law-abiding foreigners feel more at ease working and living in Hong Kong.
