Michael Shum

"Soft confrontation" behaviors have been deterred by the two important national security laws in Hong Kong, but they have gone underground and are waiting for the right moment to resurface, said Andrew Kan Kai-yan, deputy police commissioner for national security.

Kan said that confrontations were deterred by the Beijing-drafted National Security Law and the domestically enacted Safeguarding National Security Ordinance, which was legislated under Article 23 of the Basic Law.

"Street violence and mass demonstrations have nearly vanished, but national security risks will not disappear so easily. We currently face three major national security threats - American and Western intervention, soft confrontation and local terrorism," Kan said.

He added that soft confrontation activities have gone underground due to the existence of the two national security laws, as individuals "do not dare to do it in an obvious way. However, people engaging in soft confrontation will still flirt with the line - using fake news or misinformation to confuse the public, infiltrate their daily lives and engage in subtle confrontation," Kan warned.

"They will spread their ideology subtly, and once they find the right time, they will start inciting people to stir up trouble."

He added: "The most important thing is to follow clues to see if that person has an intention to incite hatred against the authorities or the administration," he added.

When asked about whether rallies are considered a form of soft confrontation, Kan said a rally does not necessarily constitute soft confrontation if a citizen "purely wants to share his or her ideas."

Kan added that national security police officers will always call rally organizers to understand their motives and the details of their rally in advance."It is inevitable, reasonable and lawful. National security police have never tried to persuade them to give up their rally plans," he said.

Andrew Kan Sing Tao

National security risks 'lie just beneath the surface'