China's Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) will work to complete amendment of its law on safeguarding national security within this year, Wong Sio Chak, secretary for security of the Macao SAR government, said on Monday.
The draft amendment of the law is under preparation, and will be released for public consultations as soon as possible, Wong told reporters after attending activities marking the Chinese People's Police Day.
The Macao SAR has established an enforcement institution for safeguarding national security and made progress in relevant legal systems. The work to raise public awareness and educate the public on the issue is top on the SAR government agenda this year, according to Wong.
The prolonged COVID-19 and changes in the economic situation have prompted massive online shopping and entertainment, which have induced online crimes, Wong said, pledging to step up fight against such crimes.
Regarding the police service arrangement in the Guangdong-Macao In-depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin, an area in the southern part of the mainland city of Zhuhai, which is just across from Macao, Wong said that Macao will continue to enhance communication and cooperation with the related authorities in Zhuhai city and Guangdong province.
In September 2021, China's central authorities issued a general plan for building the cooperation zone in Hengqin as a major arrangement to enrich the practice of "one country, two systems" and promote a moderately diversified economy in Macao.