Paul Lam sets out five-year national security roadmap, stresses HK’s global role

Secretary for Justice Paul Lam Ting-kwok on Thursday underscored the need to safeguard Hong Kong’s international character and uphold the rule of law as the city charts its national security strategy for the next five years.

Lam made the remarks after speaking to nearly 80 members of the Hong Kong Association of Professionals and Senior Executives at a seminar titled “Challenges and Response Strategies Facing the Hong Kong National Security Law in the Next Five Years.”

He said the discussion drew on four key documents centered on the relationship between development and security, with particular emphasis on the 2025 US National Security Strategy, published earlier this month.

Lam noted that the strategy clearly outlines Washington’s future geopolitical direction. He warned that the “primary focus of hostile forces from the US and the West” in targeting Hong Kong is to depict the city as “less international and functional,” thereby undermining global confidence in the SAR.

To counter this, Lam said Hong Kong must take a more proactive role in communicating its national security narrative to the world. This, he said, will be “one of the key directions for safeguarding national security in the coming years.”

He encouraged participants to leverage their professional networks overseas, promoting more rational exchanges and inviting foreign counterparts to visit Hong Kong for firsthand understanding.

“Hong Kong remains, and will continue to be, a friendly, free, open, safe, legally robust, and vibrant international metropolis,” he said.

Lam also stressed the importance of helping citizens understand the necessity of the National Security Law from the perspective of national development, rather than viewing it solely through an individual lens.

He pledged continued efforts to strengthen the city’s legal framework and enforcement mechanisms, ensuring Hong Kong has “sufficient legal tools” to mitigate risks while maintaining strong deterrent effects.