Hong Kong mulls strengthening year old security law as critics slam repression of dissent

HONG KONG – One year after Hong Kong’s home-grown national security law was enacted, the government is now reviewing how to refine it to strengthen enforcement, even as critics label it as a tool to normalise repression in the city.

The Safeguarding National Security Ordinance, under Article 23 of the Basic Law, or the city’s mini-Constitution, took effect on March 23, 2024. The ordinance, which is wider in scope, complements the national security law imposed on Hong Kong by Beijing in 2020 after mass protests.

Ahead of the first anniversary of the Hong Kong legislation, the government told The Straits Times that it would review its experience and “examine whether it is necessary to improve the laws and enforcement mechanisms... to be more effective in preventing, suppressing and punishing activities endangering national security”.

Since the law was implemented, “we have seen the business environment of Hong Kong continue to improve”, it added. “The safeguarding of national security is a continuous endeavour with no end point.”

Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce chief executive Patrick Yeung told ST that the improvement in the city’s business environment was “reflected in the number of registrations of local and non-Hong Kong firms hitting all-time highs in 2024... despite the weak global economy and geopolitics headwinds”.

A business sentiment survey by the American Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong in January also found an increase in confidence regarding the city’s rule of law. Around 70 per cent of 500 business executives polled said their operations had not been adversely affected by the security law.

Those who back Article 23 note that there is room for improvement.

In early March, Hong Kong’s top court quashed the convictions of three key members of a now-defunct pro-democracy group that organised the city’s annual vigils to commemorate China’s 1989