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China’s public security ministry vows to ‘fully guide’ Hong Kong’s embattled police force in safeguarding stability and restoring order
- Ministry makes the undertaking through its online news portal, but provides no details
- Pledge sparks questions from local scholars, commentators and security experts as to how the guidance, if any, will take shape
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Beijing’s public security authority has vowed to “fully guide” Hong Kong’s embattled police force in safeguarding stability, raising eyebrows over what this would mean amid a raging controversy sparked by plans to impose a tailor-made national security law on the city.
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The Ministry of Public Security made the undertaking through its online news portal on Thursday, but provided no details, prompting questions from local scholars, commentators and security experts as to how the guidance, if any, would take shape.
“We will conscientiously study and implement the decision of the National People’s Congress on establishing a sound legal system and enforcement mechanism for safeguarding national security in the Hong Kong special administrative region, fully guide and support the Hong Kong police force in curbing violence and chaos, restoring the order, and resolutely safeguarding the stability of Hong Kong,” the statement read.
It came in a report documenting a meeting chaired by security minister Zhao Kezhi, which hailed the passage of a resolution tasking the NPC Standing Committee, China’s top legislative body, to draw up the new law for Hong Kong.
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The law will aim to “prevent, stop and punish” acts and activities amounting to secession, subversion, terrorism and foreign interference.
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