Xia Baolong, director of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council, is currently on a six-day inspection trip in Hong Kong. On Saturday, he gave an important keynote speech at the opening ceremony of National Security Education Day. His visit underscores the importance the central government attaches to national security and the implementation of “one country, two systems” in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, and his speech provided guidance on the city’s future. Therefore, it is important to properly interpret his speech and learn to act accordingly.
In my view, the first message of Xia’s speech is that we should never forget the suffering the city endured during the 2019-20 riots. Although the city appears to be peaceful and stable now, the past political turbulence should serve as a wake-up call for everyone. There are still powerful subversive forces awaiting an opportunity to strike again. Xia noted that after the foreign forces failed in their orchestrated “color revolution” in the HKSAR during the 2019-20 insurrection, they continued to use every dirty tactic, such as imposing sanctions on HKSAR officials, and constantly smearing Hong Kong’s business environment and undermining its international financial status, in an attempt to deter foreign investment. Fortunately, these efforts have had little effect. Therefore, we must all stay vigilant; as Xia emphasized, “Hong Kong cannot afford another period of turmoil!”
Xia also emphasized that no one should be a “mere bystander”, and every institution and individual has an important role to play in safeguarding national security. Everyone should stay alert to hidden threats.
He appealed to the 180,000-strong civil service to be dedicated to its public duty, remain alert to national security threats, be responsive to the people’s voice, and be determined to solve the long-standing problems in order to win the people’s trust. He reminded them of their oath, which is “to uphold the Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China, bear allegiance to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China, be dedicated to their duties and be responsible to the HKSAR government”.
In my view, taking an oath is a solemn commitment, and if any civil servants fail to live up to their oath, the HKSAR government should take strong disciplinary action to remove those who do not meet the standards of their positions.
Xia praised the patriotic camp in Hong Kong for its strong stance against subversive forces during the 2019-20 riots and encouraged its members to continue playing a key role in supporting the HKSAR government’s governance according to the law. This is an important reminder, as we have just recently heard voices from some within the patriot camp opposing the government’s Lantau Tomorrow Vision development project and the resumption of a portion of the Fanling Golf Club for public housing. Such opposition seems to align with the interests of property developers rather than the long-term interest of the HKSAR in solving the housing problem.
Xia reassured the public that Hong Kong’s common law system must be maintained, and expressed confidence that the city’s Judiciary can help safeguard national security and implementation of the National Security Law for Hong Kong through the working of the common law system. He praised Hong Kong judges for meting out deterrent sentences to rioters. But he also stated in his speech that he “supports the further enhancement of the current judicial and legal system”. This echoed General Secretary Xi Jinping’s report to the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, which called for further improvement to the HKSAR’s legal and judicial system.
In short, as Xia said, Hong Kong remains an ideal place to live, work, study, play, and retire; and residents can continue to “Enjoy horse racing, dancing, speculating on stocks and making big money!” Xia’s speech presents a realistic and positive vision for the future generations of Hong Kong
Therefore, it is about time for the Judiciary and the HKSAR government to conduct a comprehensive review, drawing on best practices from other common law jurisdictions, to enhance the transparency and accountability of judges and to abolish outdated colonial practices such as the dress code and wigs. Additionally, the judicial review system, which has often been abused by individuals like Kwok Cheuk-kin, should also be reviewed.
Xia emphasized that Hong Kong cannot afford another period of turmoil like that of 2019. In my opinion, he was referring to two major concerns. The first one is the function of district councils, which were used by the opposition as subversive bases during the 2019-20 insurrection. Public funds were misused to support subversive activities, and senior government officials were ridiculed and abused in district council meetings, with district affairs being totally neglected. Therefore, the district council election system should be reviewed to ensure that only capable patriots can be elected as members.
Another concern Xia singled out is public demonstrations, which he said are not the only way to express different groups’ interests, especially when opinions could be manipulated. He is absolutely correct. While he gave assurance that Hong Kong should remain a diverse society, in which people of different political persuasions can continue to live freely as long as they abide by the law, he emphasized that safeguarding national security does not mean that people cannot express their views and desires. However, he warned that livelihoods and environment issues could easily be hijacked and turned into political issues that divide society, as has happened in the past. During the 2019-20 insurrection, public demonstrations and rallies were often hijacked and used to instigate chaos. Many demonstrations or assemblies turned violent, with protesters creating mayhem by disrupting traffic, wrecking or setting fire to public facilities such as MTR stations, shops, restaurants and banks, as well as attacking innocent residents. Clearly, we should learn from this bitter experience and find ways to better manage public processions and assemblies.
Unlike in the past, modern social media now can quickly enable an organized assembly of all the subversive elements in society to come together as a united force to hijack any public demonstration, as seen recently in France, where many seemingly peaceful demonstrations turned violent in the end. This was what the subversive forces tried to do in Hong Kong when the police approved the city’s first public procession after the COVID-19 pandemic, which forced the organizer to withdraw its application.
Therefore, it is worth noting that Britain has introduced the British Public Order Bill, which includes draconian measures to curb anti-government protests. Tough measures called “protection orders” are designed to prevent protests by antagonists such as global-warming and climate activists.
It’s important to realize that organizing a massive public procession with tens of thousands of participants requires considerable resources. It’s not surprising that the organizers of the opposition’s public processions during the 2019-20 unrest were sponsored by secret funds from foreign agencies, which explained why they promptly disbanded immediately after the National Security Law for Hong Kong was promulgated.
Therefore, there is nothing wrong for the police to impose stricter requirements for public processions. Requiring participants to wear some kind of identification label is not unreasonable, with the good intention of preventing them from being hijacked by outsiders with ulterior motives.
Of course, people can still conduct public protests in many ways, such as holding news conferences, staging protests in front of the Legislative Council or government department buildings, and expressing their views to the media, etc. The important thing is to balance the right to public procession with the need to maintain public order and security, while also taking into account the potential risks posed by foreign interference and subversive activities.
Finally, Xia made a particular appeal to the young people of Hong Kong, urging them to shoulder their responsibilities to their families, the city and the country, and to make contributions to the city’s harmony and stability.
Some individuals have fled after participating in criminal activities during the 2019-20 unrest, whose departure is a gain for Hong Kong as it got rid of some disruptive forces. Some Hong Kong families have also emigrated overseas. I believe that many who have emigrated, or are contemplating leaving the city, have been brainwashed to believe that there is no future for their children in Hong Kong, and they are emigrating for their children’s sake. My suggestion is that they should carefully read Xia’s speech.
Xia said that young people in Hong Kong are living in the best time of Chinese history, with the full rejuvenation of the Chinese nation within sight. There are great opportunities for development in Hong Kong, which remains one of the freest economies in the world. Global investors’ confidence in Hong Kong has been further boosted, and residents’ rights and freedoms are protected by the Basic Law and the common law system. President Xi Jinping has promised that “one country, two systems” will stay beyond 2047. In short, as Xia said, Hong Kong remains an ideal place to live, work, study, play, and retire; and residents can continue to “Enjoy horse racing, dancing, speculating on stocks and making big money!” Xia’s speech presents a realistic and positive vision for the future generations of Hong Kong!
The author is an honorary fellow of HKU Space and a council member of the Chinese Association of Hong Kong and Macao Studies.
The views do not necessarily reflect those of China Daily.