Secretary for Justice Paul Lam said on Wednesday that Hong Kong does not strive for absolute security, which is in line with the country's policy on national security.

At a legal forum on the matter on National Security Education Day, the minister said he wanted to share his views on the important features of the white paper issued by Beijing in February on how the SAR safeguards security under the one country, two systems framework.

Lam said both the Chinese Constitution and the domestic security law see national security in terms of the political regime and sovereignty being "relatively" free from danger.

He noted that pursuing absolute security would be unsustainable and impractical, and that it would stifle development and go against international relations and the concept of peaceful co-existence.

"It's made crystal clear that Hong Kong does not pursue absolute or generalised security. This is indeed, and has always been, the crux of our country's approach to national security," Lam said.

"As stated in the outline for the study of a holistic approach to national security published four years ago, it is necessary to respect and safeguard the security of each and every country."

He said therefore it should not be the case that one country is safe, but other countries are unsafe.

The minister noted that another principle in the latest white paper highlights the need to follow a holistic approach to development and security.

Lam said the fact that the SAR employs judges from other common law jurisdictions to serve on benches reflects how Hong Kong follows the concept of "open security".

He went on to say that it is important to provide the public with enough of an understanding of how Hong Kong safeguards national security.

This, Lam said, allows such laws to be assessed objectively, accepted, and followed voluntarily so that they are essential and beneficial to everyone's well-being.



Edited by Thomas McAlinden