Revealing evidence of foreign forces undermining Hong Kong’s national security is not needed, just as proof of coronavirus is not shown to require wearing of face masks: CY Leung

No government should have to reveal evidence of foreign forces undermining security, just as there is no need to show people the coronavirus to require the wearing of face masks, Hong Kong’s former leader Leung Chun-ying has said.

Leung drew the analogy at a book launch event on Friday as he urged educators to raise awareness among youngsters about the continual existence of security risks despite the implementation of a Beijing-imposed national security law two years ago.

“Some friends often asked me: ‘You said foreign forces were undermining political security in Hong Kong. What evidence do you have?’… No government in the world lists out evidence [showing] which countries had affected their security,” he told dozens of teachers and students at the event.

“It’s like everyone sitting here with your masks on and your hands washed frequently. I believe no one has ever seen the coronavirus with their bare eyes under the microscope … No one has ever asked the government to show him or her the virus when being asked to keep their masks on.”

Leung, who was chief executive from 2012 to 2017, said the government under his leadership had taken action to combat destructive forces, albeit on a smaller scale than what was accomplished with the national security law introduced in 2020.

Now a vice-chairman of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, Leung said more had to be done to improve education as awareness and understanding of national security among young people was still insufficient “due to historical reasons”.

Leung was attending the launch of a book that examines 70 national security-related cases from around the world divided in 16 categories.