On March 19, the Hong Kong legislature passed the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance and reached a historic milestone in the implementation of “one country, two systems”. Legislation to implement Article 23, which requires Hong Kong to legislate on its own to prohibit seven national security offences, has been outstanding since 1997, and the inadequacy of the city’s defence mechanism has been a drag on its development.
Now that the legislation has been successfully implemented, Hong Kong can march forward to create a more secure and prosperous future for its people. Running to over 300 pages and 181 clauses, most of the offences included in the legislation — such as treason, insurrection, incitement to mutiny and acts…
