The Hong Kong National Security Law was passed unanimously and signed by

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Jun 30, right before the 23rd anniversary of
Hong Kong’s return from the UK to China. While passing the new legislation is
completely China’s domestic affairs, it has triggered another round of false
accusations against China which may mislead some of our Bangladeshi friends.
As China’s ambassador, I feel obliged to lay out some basic facts about the
legitimacy of the new legislation and illustrate how security and prosperity go
hand in hand in Hong Kong.

China officially resumed the exercise of sovereignty over Hong Kong on Jul 1,
1997. Since then, Hong Kong has become a special administrative region or
SAR of China under the “One Country, Two Systems” policy, which guarantees
that the HKSAR can retain its capitalist system while integrating into the whole
of China. Throughout the world, no other country has such political courage
and tolerance to allow two political systems to exist at the same time. The
policy is not a compromise but a demonstration of China’s determination
towards peaceful reunification.

From the very beginning, the Central Government of China has left the right,
and obligation at the same time, of national security legislation to the people
of HKSAR by stipulating in Article 23 of the Basic Law that Hong Kong “shall
enact laws on its own to prohibit any act of treason, secession, sedition,
subversion against the Central People’s Government, or theft of state secrets,
to prohibit foreign political organisations or bodies from conducting political
activities in the Region, and to prohibit political organisations or bodies of the
Region from establishing ties with foreign political organisations or bodies”.
But two decades on, the legislation is still not there due to the obstruction of
some actors with ulterior motives, making HKSAR the only place in the world
without the protection of national security law. The chaos and violence in the
past year have proved how vulnerable Hong Kong is in the face of infiltration,
incitement, and foreign interference.

Safeguarding national security is the first and foremost factor of national

sovereignty. No country would ever leave acts endangering national security
on its territory unchecked or allow loopholes in its national security mechanism
and legislation to remain exposed. Hong Kong is a special and local
administrative region of China. As Hong Kong is unable to resolve the problem
on its own, it is only just, legitimate and in line with the Constitution for the
Central Authorities to legislate on national security for the HKSAR at the state
level. Nearly 3 million Hong Kong citizens signed a petition endorsing the
legislation

Some western politicians say that the Central Government of China has
undermined the high degree of autonomy of the HKSAR through the passage
of the new law. This is groundless. No one is more earnest and determined
than the Chinese Government to fully implement “One Country, Two
Systems”, and no one cares more than the Chinese Government about Hong
Kong’s prosperity, stability, and its people’s well-being. At the core of “One
Country, Two Systems” is the mission to safeguard national sovereignty,
security and development interests. “One Country” is the prerequisite for and
the foundation of “Two Systems”, while “Two Systems” derives from and is
subordinate to “One Country”. Should the “One Country” principle be
undermined, “Two Systems” would be out of the question. Without national
security, how can we talk about autonomy?

Some Western politicians also say that with the new legislation, human rights
have been endangered in the HKSAR. While proclaiming themselves as
champions of human rights, these people have falsely pitted the protection of
human rights against the protection of national security. They frequently cite
the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and the
International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, but ignore
that the ICCPR mentions at least seven times that human rights, including
freedoms of expression, assembly, and association, can be subject to
restrictions for the protection of national security. While targeting a small
handful of criminal acts and activities endangering national security, the new
law will protect the legitimate rights and freedom of the majority of Hong
Kong citizens so that they can enjoy freedom without fears caused by
violence, freedom to use the metro and visit shopping malls without worries,
and freedom to speak the truth in public without being lynched by rioters.

Some Western politicians even say that with the new legislation, the Central
Government of China has deserted the rule of law. I think these people have
shown no respect for the principle of non-interference, a principle of
international law and a basic norm governing international relations. They
frequently cite the Sino-British Joint Declaration but ignore that in its eight
paragraphs and three annexes, there is no single word or clause that grants
other countries any responsibility for Hong Kong after the city’s return to
China. Since Jul 1, 1997, no country other than China has sovereignty,
jurisdiction, or the right of supervision over Hong Kong. No foreign country
shall meddle with Hong Kong affairs, which are purely China’s internal affairs,
under the pretext of any legal document.

As we know, Hong Kong is one of the most open and competitive cities in the
world and a major global financial, trading, and shipping centre. Hong Kong has
been rated as the world’s freest economy consecutively for more than two
decades. As a highly-developed economy, Hong Kong was able to sustain the
blast of a few economic crises and maintain an annual GDP growth rate of 3%
to 4%. However, the outbreak of chaos one year ago has plunged Hong Kong’s
economy into recession. In the third quarter of 2019, Hong Kong’s GDP shrank
by 2.9% for the first time since 2009. In the first quarter of 2020, Hong Kong’s
GDP decreased by 8.9%, and its total import and export volume dropped by
8% during the first five months of 2020. Without stability and security, there is
no prosperity. The new national security legislation is not only about upholding
national sovereignty and delineating political jurisdiction, but also about
ensuring people’s livelihood, sustaining an economic legend, and saving the
“Pearl of the Orient”.

As strategic partners of cooperation, China and Bangladesh have always

supported each other’s core interests in the international arena and stayed
away from interfering in each other’s domestic affairs. Amid ongoing turmoil in
the HKSAR and ungrounded finger-pointing at China, many Bangladeshi
politicians, journalists and experts have voiced their support to the righteous
side, to which I am deeply grateful. Hong Kong is also important to
Bangladesh. For so many years, a significant portion of export goods from the
country are shipped first to Hong Kong and then to the world, and many Hong
Kong-based companies have contributed their shares to the remarkable
economic trajectory of Bangladesh. Guided by “Vision 2041” and the dream of
“Sonar Bangla”, Bangladesh is now seeking more FDI and enhanced business
ties with the world to recover faster and stronger in the post-COVID-19 era,
and I am sure that Hong Kong will play a big part in that story. With the
national security legislation coming into effect, the HKSAR will embark upon a
new leg of journey towards prosperity. It is our sincere hope that Bangladesh,
our time-tested friend, will stand by us to embrace a securer and better Hong
Kong.