Secretary for Security Chris Tang said the government is ready to take action against anyone who takes advantage of tensions between China and the United States to stir up chaos in Hong Kong.

Speaking on a Commercial Radio programme on Sunday, Tang said US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's recent visit to Taipei showed external forces would seize any opportunities to consolidate their hegemony.

He said Hong Kong must therefore always be on guard against national security threats posed by external forces.

“I believe the ‘black violence’ in 2019 clearly showed Hong Kong people that acts that threaten national security, or even something close to a ‘colour revolution’, can happen in Hong Kong,” he said.

“So, we must make preparations in all aspects. In particular, when circumstances change out there, of course we have to watch out for anyone conducting subversive acts in Hong Kong.

“We would also pay attention to our general public security, so no one can take advantage of international incidents to break the law or create chaos in Hong Kong."

The security chief said authorities will also watch out against local terrorism, saying there were “lone-wolves” and anti-government groups planning to disrupt society.

He said some people, especially youngsters, became anti-China and anti-government because they had been “poisoned by fake news” over the years.

Tang said the government will promote publicity and education to nurture people’s national identity, so they are proud to be Chinese.