Exclusive | Hong Kong to ramp up security for handover anniversary, guard against ‘new threats’ including Covid-19, ‘home-grown terrorism’

Protecting the Chinese state leader and his entourage from terrorist attacks and Covid-19 infection are among the challenges law enforcement agencies will face during the 25th anniversary of Hong Kong’s handover, the security minister has revealed.

Hong Kong would mobilise all law enforcement agencies for the July 1 handover commemoration, which coincided with the swearing-in of John Lee Ka-chiu as the new chief executive, Secretary for Security Chris Tang Ping-keung said in a wide-ranging exclusive interview with the Post, adding that police had also upgraded their equipment.

Though it remained unclear whether Chinese President Xi Jinping would lead the central government’s delegation to Hong Kong for the event as he did five years ago, Tang said preparations were in full swing to ensure guests’ safety.

New threats including the coronavirus pandemic and home-grown terrorism had emerged, he said, making security work this year more challenging compared with 2017 when global terrorism and public order were authorities’ main concerns.

“Will the VIPs be infected after arriving in the city? Prevention and control measures are new challenges,” Tang said. “We must map out some measures. But of course, they are not solely decided by the bureau or law enforcement agencies. We must look at health-related arrangements to ensure anti-pandemic protection for the attendees.

“All law enforcement agencies will be in full mobilisation. Anything that happens on the 25th anniversary will become a focal point. Many people want to take advantage of the events to cause disturbance in Hong Kong. We won’t take any chances.

Xi has not set foot outside mainland China since the pandemic began more than two years ago. He visited Myanmar and met now-deposed president U Win Myint days before ordering a lockdown in Wuhan in Hubei province in January 2020.