China yesterday opened its national security agency in Hong Kong, turning a hotel near a park that has been one of the most popular venues for pro-democracy protests into its new headquarters.
The office, which operates beyond the scrutiny of local courts or other institutions, is to oversee the Hong Kong government’s enforcement of the sweeping national security legislation that Beijing imposed on the territory last week.
The legislation gives its agents, operating openly in the global financial hub for the first time, enforcement powers.
Photo: Bloomberg
It allows them to take suspects across the border for trials in China-controlled courts and gives them special privileges, including that Hong Kong authorities cannot search or detain them.
It is unclear how many mainland agents are to be stationed in the former Metropark Hotel, a 33-story building in Causeway Bay, near Victoria Park.
At the opening ceremony, Hong Kong Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government Director Luo Huining (駱惠寧) said people who love China and Hong Kong welcome the legislation.
“Those with ulterior motives and who are anti-China and seek to destabilize Hong Kong have not only stigmatized the agency, 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 Hong Kong residents,” Luo said.
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