Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam to visit Beijing over national security law
蘋果日報 2020/06/03 12:34
Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor is set to visit Beijing on Wednesday to meet with Chinese government officials over plans to impose a national security law in the city, the government announced.
Lam is expected to brief Beijing officials about the Hong Kong government’s views on the issue, according to a government statement on Tuesday.
Lam will depart for Shenzhen on Tuesday evening before heading to Beijing on Wednesday morning. She is scheduled to return to the city on June 4, the 31st anniversary of the Tiananmen crackdown.
She will be accompanied by Secretary for Justice Teresa Cheng Yeuk-wah, Secretary for Security John Lee Ka-chiu and Commissioner of Police Chris Tang Ping-keung.
The National People’s Congress, China’s legislature, last week voted to enact a national security law customized for Hong Kong that would ban subversion, terrorism, and foreign interference in the city.
Lam has repeatedly dismissed concerns that the draft legislation would erode the city’s freedoms and vowed “full support” for the law, despite international criticism that the move would greatly undermine the city’s autonomy.
This came after Legislative Council president Andrew Leung Kwan-yuen had banned Democratic Party chairman Wu Chi-wai from raising a question over the proposed national security law.
Wu asked government officials to explain how authorities would be able to guarantee that the new law would not erode Hong Kong people’s rights and freedoms. He also asked whether suspects would be tried in mainland China and whether there would be any time limits for prosecution.
Leung, citing Article 18 of the Basic Law, said matters of defence and foreign affairs were under the scope of the Chinese authorities and did not fall under the work of the Hong Kong government.
Leung was following the advice of Chief Secretary Matthew Cheung Kin-cheung who said it was inappropriate for the government to respond to the question as the law was still being drafted at this stage.
Wu said the government had no intention to listen to Hong Kongers’ views, calling government officials “cowardly and irresponsible” as they were not willing to go on the record or be subject to scrutiny from lawmakers.
“Carrie Lam will only regard opposing voices [against the national security law] as a minority view, she has no intention of taking the worries of Hong Kong people into consideration,” Wu told Apple Daily.
Lam is expected to brief Beijing officials about the Hong Kong government’s views on the issue, according to a government statement on Tuesday.
Lam will depart for Shenzhen on Tuesday evening before heading to Beijing on Wednesday morning. She is scheduled to return to the city on June 4, the 31st anniversary of the Tiananmen crackdown.
She will be accompanied by Secretary for Justice Teresa Cheng Yeuk-wah, Secretary for Security John Lee Ka-chiu and Commissioner of Police Chris Tang Ping-keung.
The National People’s Congress, China’s legislature, last week voted to enact a national security law customized for Hong Kong that would ban subversion, terrorism, and foreign interference in the city.
Lam has repeatedly dismissed concerns that the draft legislation would erode the city’s freedoms and vowed “full support” for the law, despite international criticism that the move would greatly undermine the city’s autonomy.
This came after Legislative Council president Andrew Leung Kwan-yuen had banned Democratic Party chairman Wu Chi-wai from raising a question over the proposed national security law.
Wu asked government officials to explain how authorities would be able to guarantee that the new law would not erode Hong Kong people’s rights and freedoms. He also asked whether suspects would be tried in mainland China and whether there would be any time limits for prosecution.
Leung, citing Article 18 of the Basic Law, said matters of defence and foreign affairs were under the scope of the Chinese authorities and did not fall under the work of the Hong Kong government.
Leung was following the advice of Chief Secretary Matthew Cheung Kin-cheung who said it was inappropriate for the government to respond to the question as the law was still being drafted at this stage.
Wu said the government had no intention to listen to Hong Kongers’ views, calling government officials “cowardly and irresponsible” as they were not willing to go on the record or be subject to scrutiny from lawmakers.
“Carrie Lam will only regard opposing voices [against the national security law] as a minority view, she has no intention of taking the worries of Hong Kong people into consideration,” Wu told Apple Daily.
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