China yesterday released a policy white paper on Hong Kong’s practice of safeguarding national security to ensure stability in a volatile world, emphasizing that Beijing has “fundamental responsibility” for national security affairs in the territory.
The white paper was released by China’s State Council a day after a Hong Kong court sentenced leading China critic and former media mogul Jimmy Lai (黎智英) to 20 years imprisonment in a landmark foreign collusion case under the territory’s National Security Law.
Lai’s sentence, the heaviest so far under the China-imposed law, drew international criticism from Taiwan, the US, the UK, the EU, Japan and rights groups.
Photo: Chiang Ying-ying, AP
The white paper said Hong Kong would continue to improve its legal system to safeguard national security.
“Hong Kong, enjoying high-standard security, is bound to overcome all risks and challenges on the journey forward, and remain as steady as a rock in a turbulent world,” it read.
Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee (李家超) welcomed the white paper, saying authorities needed to remain vigilant against national security risks.
He said Lai’s sentence sent a “solemn warning against malicious plots of collusion with external elements and endangering national security.”
Critics say the sweeping national security law has been used to clamp down on dissent and the opposition pro-democracy movement after mass protests in 2019.
However, the white paper described the law as a “legal shield” that had “neutralized this major threat” and restored order.
Hong Kong’s practice of safeguarding national security had “consolidated the security foundation” of the territory’s “one country, two systems” governance model and “further enriched China’s national security system,” the paper said.
Such white papers on Hong Kong are released periodically by China, outlining Beijing’s latest policy stance toward the territory.
The previous white paper in 2021 outlined Hong Kong’s democratic development after a revamp of the electoral system to ensure only “patriots” could run for public office — a move criticized by some countries as an erosion of democratic freedoms by marginalizing opposition democrats.
CSBC Corp, Taiwan (台灣國際造船) yesterday released the first video documenting the submerged sea trials of Taiwan’s indigenous defense submarine prototype, the Hai Kun (海鯤), or Narwhal, showing underwater navigation and the launch of countermeasures. The footage shows the vessel’s first dive, steering and control system tests, and the raising and lowering of the periscope and antenna masts. It offered a rare look at the progress in the submarine’s sea acceptance tests. The Hai Kun carried out its first shallow-water diving trial late last month and has since completed four submerged tests, CSBC said. The newly released video compiles images recorded from Jan. 29 to
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) plans to make advanced 3-nanometer chips in Japan, stepping up its semiconductor manufacturing roadmap in the country in a triumph for Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s technology ambitions. TSMC is to adopt cutting-edge technology for its second wafer fab in Kumamoto, company chairman C.C. Wei (魏哲家) said yesterday. That is an upgrade from an original blueprint to produce 7-nanometer chips by late next year, people familiar with the matter said. TSMC began mass production at its first plant in Japan’s Kumamoto in late 2024. Its second fab, which is still under construction, was originally focused on
DETERRENCE EFFORTS: Washington and partners hope demonstrations of force would convince Beijing that military action against Taiwan would carry high costs The US is considering using HMAS Stirling in Western Australia as a forward base to strengthen its naval posture in a potential conflict with China, particularly over Taiwan, the Wall Street Journal reported on Saturday. As part of its Indo-Pacific strategy, Washington plans to deploy up to four nuclear-powered submarines at Stirling starting in 2027, providing a base near potential hot spots such as Taiwan and the South China Sea. The move also aims to enhance military integration with Pacific allies under the Australia-UK-US trilateral security partnership, the report said. Currently, US submarines operate from Guam, but the island could
The partisan standoff over President William Lai’s (賴清德) proposed defense budget has raised questions about the nation’s ability to adequately fund its own defense, the US Congressional Research Service (CRS) said in a report released on Tuesday. The report, titled Taiwan: Defense and Military Issues, said the government has increased its defense budget at an average annual rate of 5 percent from 2019 to 2023, with about 2.5 percent of its GDP spent on defense in 2024. Lai in November last year proposed a special budget of about US$40 billion over eight years, and said he intends to increase defense spending to
RSS