Legal sector representatives said they’ve had a candid exchange with the director of the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office, Xia Baolong, on Sunday.

The chairman of the Bar Association, Victor Dawes, said topics that were discussed included the planned Basic Law Article 23 national security legislation.

"During our meeting, we told Director Xia that society might have different views on many of the provisions – and that this shows that Hong Kong is a diverse society, which enjoys freedom of speech," he told reporters.

"We mentioned that a good balance should be struck between safeguarding national security and Hong Kong people's rights under the Basic Law."

The Law Society's president, CM Chan, said he felt that Xia valued the opinions of the SAR's legal sector.

Chan added that Beijing’s top official on Hong Kong affairs is highly supportive of the SAR and wants it to continue thriving as an international city.