The address at the official opening ceremony of the Office for Safeguarding National Security of the Central People's Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region

The address at the official opening ceremony of the Office for Safeguarding National Security of the Central People's Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region

by Luo Huining, director of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region

　　Honorable Vice President Tung Chee-hwa, Vice President Leung Chun-ying,

　　Chief Executive Carrie Lam, Director Zheng Yanxiong,

　　Distinguished guests and friends:

　　Good Morning!

　　Today, we are holding an official opening ceremony for the Office for Safeguarding National Security of the Central People's Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR). On behalf of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council and the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the HKSAR, I offer my warm congratulations!

　　The promulgation and implementation of the Law of the People's Republic of China on Safeguarding National Security in the HKSAR is the turning point for Hong Kong from turmoil to stability. In recent days, the Committee for Safeguarding National Security of the HKSAR, a specialized prosecution division under the Department of Justice, and the department for safeguarding national security of the Hong Kong Police Force have been established and functioning according to the law. The chief executive has began designating judges to handle cases concerning offence endangering national security. The implementation rules of Article 43 of the national security law in the HKSAR have taken effect.The establishment of the Office for Safeguarding National Security in the HKSAR has implemented the regulations stipulated in the national security law which require the central government establish an organization safeguarding national security in Hong Kong. All the above signaled that the enforcement mechanism of Hong Kong safeguarding national security has basically taken shape.

　　The establishment of the Office for Safeguarding National Security of the Central People's Government in the HKSAR is a major move taken by the central government to fulfill its fundamental responsibility of safeguarding national security. Safeguarding national security is essentially within the purview of the central government. The central government has both the power and the responsibility to take all necessary measures to safeguard national security. While authorizing the HKSAR to exercise jurisdiction over most of the cases related to national security based on its full trust in the HKSAR, the central government exercises jurisdiction over a very small number of cases so as to uphold the bottom line of safeguarding national security in Hong Kong.

　　Recently, the Office for Safeguarding National Security of the Central People's Government in the HKSAR has become the focus of public attention in Hong Kong. While people who love China and the HKSAR are welcoming the establishment of the office, those with ulterior motives and who are anti-China and seek to destabilize Hong Kong have not only stigmatized the office, but also smeared the legal system and rule of law in the Chinese mainland in an attempt to stir up unnecessary worries and fears among the Hong Kong residents. The Chinese mainland has a healthy legal system and a sound environment for the rule of law. China's "quality of judicial processes" index has ranked the first for two years in a row in the World Bank's report on business environment. Many foreigners in China have shared the view that China is a country that can give people with the greatest sense of security. As an agency dispatched by the central government, the Office for Safeguarding National Security of the Central People's Government in the HKSAR will perform its mandate in strict compliance with the law and be subject to supervision in accordance with the law. It will not infringe upon the lawful rights and interests of any individual or organization. The office is not only "the envoy of Hong Kong』s security" but also "the gatekeeper of national security".

　　Distinguished guests and friends,

　　Today's Hong Kong has bid farewell to the days when it was defenseless in national security. I believe that guarded by the Law of the People's Republic of China on Safeguarding National Security in the HKSAR, and with the concerted efforts of the Office for Safeguarding National Security of the Central People's Government in the HKSAR and the Committee for Safeguarding National Security of the HKSAR, acts and activities that endanger national security are bound to be effectively prevented, curbed and punished, and the practice of "one country, two systems" policy in Hong Kong will not be distorted, and will continue to be brimming with dynamism.

　　Thank you!