Beijing’s point man on Hong Kong affairs tells city leader he’s ‘very satisfied’ with quick passage of Article 23 national security law

Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office director Xia Baolong meets Chief Executive John Lee and other top officials in Shenzhen for update on city’s latest developments

Political analyst says meeting serves not only to boost Hong Kong officials’ morale but also convey central government’s instructions

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City leader John Lee (left) meets Xia Baolong, director of the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office. Photo: Handout

Published: 4:08pm, 21 Mar 2024Updated: 6:28pm, 22 Mar 2024

Beijing’s point man on Hong Kong affairs was “very satisfied” with the quick passage of the domestic national security law and praised the city’s leader and other top officials for shepherding the bill through to completion as he met them in Shenzhen on Thursday, attendees told the Post.

Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu revealed hours after the closed-door meeting that he had informed Xia Baolong about the city’s latest developments, including the unanimous vote on Tuesday approving the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance, which fulfilled the obligation of Article 23 of the Basic Law, Hong Kong’s mini-constitution.

“Hong Kong can now stride forward confidently on the prosperous path of development, focusing its full attention on developing a vibrant economy and a caring community,” Lee said, two days after the bill was unanimously passed by lawmakers.

The new law would allow Hong Kong to “establish solid fortifications and consolidate its defence wall” in the transition from the chaos of the anti-government protests in 2019 to order.

“It was a glorious achievement of the implementation of the principle of ‘patriots administering Hong Kong’,” Lee said, referring to Beijing’s overhaul of the electoral system in 2021, a year after it imposed a national security law on Hong Kong.

Lee also said the legislation had “strong popular support” and its early completion was the “consensus” of the local community. Less than two months separated the start of the public consultation exercise for the bill and its passage.