China’s Point Man on Hong Kong to Visit the City, SCMP Reports

Zheping Huang
·2 min read
4

(Bloomberg) -- Beijing’s top official in charge of Hong Kong will travel to the financial hub this week to solicit views on a proposed domestic security law, the South China Morning Post reported.

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Xia Baolong, who leads the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office, will arrive on Thursday for a six-day visit, the newspaper said, citing people familiar with the matter whom it didn’t identify. The trip is to include meetings with Chief Executive John Lee, representatives from the private sector and others.

The reported visit comes as at a crucial time for Hong Kong’s political and economic future. Lee’s decision to enact domestic security legislation has renewed concern among some members of the finance community over a potential chilling effect on open discussion of economic and policy issues.

Read More: Hong Kong’s New Security Law Brings Anxiety to Finance Hub

Hong Kong’s proposed sweeping definition of state secrets under Article 23 would bring the city more in line with mainland China’s vague laws around such information and espionage, which have spooked investors.

Xia visited Hong Kong in April last year, when he delivered a keynote address at a ceremony for the city’s National Security Education Day.

“While Hong Kong may appear to be peaceful and calm, there are indeed undercurrents,” he said then. “The root causes for ‘chaos’ have not yet been eliminated, and the foundation of ‘orderly governance’ needs to be fortified.”

In 2020, Beijing tightened its grip over the city by imposing a broad national security law, a move that followed historic and sometimes violent protests in the former British colony.

Read More: Why Hong Kong Is Drafting Another National Security Law: Q&A

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