The director of Beijing's liaison office in Hong Kong, Zhou Ji, on Wednesday said Hong Kong's stability was hard won as he called on the SAR government to safeguard national security at a higher level to contribute to national rejuvenation.

He made the comments as he delivered a speech at the opening ceremony of an event marking the 11th National Security Education Day.

In his speech, Zhou noted the city's national security education had shown "solid" progress over the past years, with the dedicated exhibition gallery registering almost 1.8 million visits.

Meanwhile, more than 135,000 students from 651 schools have taken part in various competitions covering national security knowledge while activities, such as the Open Day for the Police Force, also received "positive feedbacks".

Zhou, who's also the national security adviser to the Committee for Safeguarding National Security, said the city's peace and stability was hard won and worth cherishing, especially amid current geopolitical risks and regional warfare.

"Since the National Security Law was introduced in Hong Kong, international organisations have been speaking highly of Hong Kong, and various international rankings of Hong Kong are also leading in the world," he said.

"Hong Kong's business environment has been widely recognised by the international community, investors around the world are also investing in Hong Kong with real money, and this is a vote of confidence," he added.

Zhou noted the liaison office would continue to firmly support the SAR government in fulfilling its constitutional responsibility of safeguarding national security, adding the national 15th Five-Year Plan would bring new opportunities for the city.

Echoing Zhou, Dong Jingwei, head of Beijing's Office for Safeguarding National Security in the city, called on the SAR government to better align with the nation's development strategy as the administration works on the city's first five-year plan.

Dong added Hong Kong's upcoming five-year plan must be guided by the overall national security concept.

"We must firmly grasp the practical requirements for maintaining national security under the principle of 'One Country, Two Systems', integrate security into all fields and the entire process of development, and always be vigilant against various risks and hazards," he said.

"We should also pay greater attention to non-traditional security areas such as finance, shipping, trade, and the protection of overseas interests, and effectively prevent external forces from interfering."

Dong also said the city must also guard against external interference, and further improve the systems and mechanisms to counter sanctions, interference, and long-arm jurisdiction.


Edited by Tony Sabine