Draft Article 23 bill to be submitted to HKSAR's LegCo by year-end: security chief

The draft bill for legislation in accordance with Article 23 of the Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) is expected to be submitted to the HKSAR's Legislative Council (LegCo) for deliberation by the end of this year, a senior official said Tuesday.

Chris Tang, secretary for security of the HKSAR government, said efforts are being made to push forward the enactment of local legislation to implement Article 23, and the consultation is expected to start within the tenure of the current-term HKSAR government.

The parties concerned are seeking to fulfill their constitutional responsibilities regarding the Article 23 legislation under the HKSAR Basic Law as soon as possible, Tang said during a policy briefing with the LegCo Panel on Security.

The Article 23 of the HKSAR Basic Law stipulates that the HKSAR "shall enact laws on its own to prohibit any act of treason, secession, sedition, subversion against the Central People's Government, or theft of state secrets, to prohibit foreign political organizations or bodies from conducting political activities in the region, and to prohibit political organizations or bodies of the region from establishing ties with foreign political organizations or bodies."

The relevant parties will build on local studies, overseas experience, implementation of the national security law in Hong Kong and court rulings to formulate effective and pragmatic proposals based on Hong Kong's actual conditions, Tang said.

He added that the difficulties of relevant legislative work will not be underestimated, as external forces are attempting to undermine the security of the country and the HKSAR, and smear the Article 23 legislation.

Related authorities will interpret and explain relevant legislative work to the public through different channels, Tang said.