Beijing’s top official on Hong Kong affairs will visit the city for five days this week to attend a forum marking the fifth anniversary of the national security law, Chief Executive John Lee has announced.
Xia Baolong, director of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office (HKMAO), will visit Hong Kong from Wednesday to Sunday, Lee said at a weekly press briefing on Tuesday, ahead of the Executive Council meeting.
The main focus of Xia’s visit will be to attend a national security law forum organised by the Hong Kong government on Saturday, Lee said.
The Chinese official, whom Lee said “knows Hong Kong’s situation very well,” will also inspect the city’s “economic situation and social development” during his five-day visit.
Lee added that he was “very encouraged” by Xia’s trip.
The Hong Kong leader said the government will maintain “close communication” with the HKMAO before announcing details of Xia’s itinerary.
Xia first visited Hong Kong in April 2023, during which he gave a keynote speech on the National Security Education Day.
At that time, he said the city “seems peaceful” but some “undercurrents are still simmering,” adding that the root of the 2019 extradition bill unrest had not been eliminated.
He made inspection visits to Hong Kong in February this year and last year. He visited Macau for six days last month.
Lee also said on Tuesday that a total of 332 people had been arrested for national security offences since the national security law was enacted on June 30, 2020.
The chief executive pointed out that on average, 66 people were apprehended under the security law each year – far lower than the average annual number of total arrests, which stood at around 30,000.
“Sixty-six out of 30,000, the percentage is 0.2. When we promulgated the national security law, we made it very clear that the law is aiming at only a small portion of people who endanger national security. This figure reinforces that clear message,” Lee said.
Beijing inserted national security legislation directly into Hong Kong’s mini-constitution in June 2020 following a year of pro-democracy protests and unrest. It criminalised subversion, secession, collusion with foreign forces and terrorist acts – broadly defined to include disruption to transport and other infrastructure. The move gave police sweeping new powers and led to hundreds of arrests amid new legal precedents, while dozens of civil society groups disappeared. The authorities say it restored stability and peace to the city, rejecting criticism from trade partners, the UN and NGOs.
In March 2024, Hong Kong enacted its homegrown Safeguarding National Security Ordinance, which targets treason, insurrection, sabotage, external interference, sedition, theft of state secrets and espionage.
It allows for pre-charge detention of up to 16 days, and suspects’ access to lawyers may be restricted, with penalties involving up to life in prison. Article 23 was shelved in 2003 amid mass protests, remaining taboo for years. But, on March 23, 2024, it was enacted having been fast-tracked and unanimously approved at the city’s opposition-free legislature.
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