A professor at the School of Law of Tsinghua University, Wang Zhengmin, said Hong Kong’s law enforcement under the National Security Law (NSL) is precise, citing prosecution data from the United Kingdom and the United States, and comparing it with the number of NSL cases in Hong Kong, at Hong Kong Legal Forum on Wednesday.
Wang criticized some Western politicians for “double standards,” saying they smeared and attacked Hong Kong after the NSL was implemented.
He cited statistics from Hong Kong’s Security Bureau, saying that from 2020 to January of this year, Hong Kong prosecuted 98 individuals, and 78 were convicted under the NSL.
In contrast, Wang said that during the five-day riot in London in 2011, 4,000 people were arrested and more than 3,100 were prosecuted. He added that during the January 6 US Capitol attack, which lasted only one day, over 1,500 people were prosecuted and the military was deployed. He said 1,126 people were convicted, with the maximum sentence reaching 22 years in prison.
“Only a small number of people in Hong Kong were targeted,” Wang said.
He argued that the data showed Hong Kong safeguarded national security in accordance with the law, while protecting the safety and well-being of the majority of citizens.
Regarding external interference, Wang said the Central Government has only released three white papers related to Hong Kong since the handover 30 years ago.
He claimed that the UK has published reports on Hong Kong every six months, totaling 58 so far, while the US government and Congress have published 26 respectively, totaling 52.
Wang said they have already said what they wanted to say about Hong Kong on international occasions, and that the Central Government’s white papers are meant to address root causes and build consensus.
On the relationship between the NSL and the Basic Law, Wang reiterated that safeguarding national security is a required task under the “One Country, Two Systems” policy, not something that was only mentioned starting in 2020.
He emphasized that the NSL is a supplement to the Basic Law.
“National security law did not change, nor replace the Basic Law,” he said.
Wang also said the Central Government will maintain Hong Kong’s long-term system and way of life, including its status as an international free port, its separate customs territory, and its common law system.
He noted that, thanks to the implementation of “One Country, Two Systems,” Hong Kong has moved away from being the frontline in conflicts between China and Western countries and has once again become a hotspot for international investment.
Wang called on all sectors to uphold the concepts of peace and inclusiveness, so Hong Kong can become a place for cooperation among different regions with different systems.
