Andrew Leung Kwan-yuen, the president of the Legislative Council has told the state media that the overwhelming majority of Hong Kong residents welcome the national security law and hailed it as a "guardian" of Hong Kong.
The law will safeguard Hong Kong's freedom and security and help the city recover from the turmoil over the past year, Leung said in an interview with China Media Group (CMG) on Thursday.
"I personally respect, accept and welcome the move by the central authorities at this moment," he stressed, noting that Hong Kong has been unable to make laws on safeguarding national security since its return to China 23 years ago.
The Law of the People's Republic of China on Safeguarding National Security in the HKSAR was passed on Tuesday at the 20th session of the Standing Committee of the 13th National People's Congress, China's top legislature.
Signed by Chief Executive Carrie Lam and published in the Gazette, the law took effect at 11:00 p.m. local time on Tuesday.
