The national security legislation for Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) is the most important development since Hong Kong's return to the motherland, said Chief Executive Carrie Lam on Wednesday.
Lam made the remarks at a reception marking the 23rd anniversary of Hong Kong's return to the motherland and the establishment of the HKSAR. Earlier in the morning, a flag-raising ceremony was held at Golden Bauhinia Square to celebrate the anniversary.
In her speech at the reception, Lam said the national security law is a turning point for Hong Kong to end chaos and bring back order.
The national security legislation for Hong Kong is in accordance with the Constitution and the HKSAR Basic Law and is also a reasonable move, Lam reiterated.
The law was passed at the 20th session of the Standing Committee of the 13th National People's Congress (NPC). The NPC Standing Committee consulted the HKSAR Basic Law Committee and the HKSAR government and listed the law in Annex III to the HKSAR Basic Law.
It took effect at 23:00 local time on Tuesday.
