Hong Kong Revives Controversial Article 23 Security Legislation
-
Hong Kong has formally begun the process of enacting its own controversial national security law, known as Article 23. This comes after Beijing imposed a sweeping security law on the city in 2020.
-
The proposed Article 23 legislation will cover offenses like treason, theft of state secrets, espionage and external interference. Officials say it will "fill loopholes" in the Beijing-imposed law.
-
Hong Kong's leader said enacting Article 23 is the city's "constitutional duty" and it can't afford to wait, despite previous attempts being met with mass protests over civil liberties concerns.
-
The public consultation period for Article 23 is shorter than last time, only 1 month. Officials cited rising geopolitical tensions and threats from "Western countries" targeting China.
-
The proposed law will create new offenses related to theft of state secrets, spying, computer hacking and external interference in Hong Kong affairs. This could bring further uncertainty for Hong Kong's status as a global financial hub.