Xia Baolong – the nation’s top official overseeing Hong Kong and Macao affairs -- will deliver a video speech at the opening ceremony to mark this year’s National Security Education Day in the special administrative region on Monday.
Xia, who is director of the Hong Kong and Macao Work Office of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the State Council’s Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office, will officiate at the ceremony, which has been held on April 15 every year since 2021 to raise the public’s awareness of national security and help residents prevent and avert national security risks.
Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu, who’s also chairman of the HKSAR’s National Security Committee, said activities organized by the committee to celebrate National Security Education Day will raise residents’ awareness and sense of responsibility in safeguarding national security, reminding them to stay alert to national security risks
Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu on Sunday extended a warm welcome to Xia’s attendance at the ceremony. “The prevailing geopolitics has become increasingly complex, and national security risks and threats remain imminent. The means taken to endanger national security can come in many different forms and persist, and the threat can emerge all of a sudden. The public should remain vigilant”, he said.
Lee, who’s also chairman of the HKSAR’s National Security Committee, said activities organized by the committee to celebrate National Security Education Day will raise residents’ awareness and sense of responsibility in safeguarding national security, reminding them to stay alert to national security risks.
He said the 2024 National Security Education Day is particularly meaningful for the SAR as this year marks the 10th anniversary of a holistic approach to national security – a concept put forward by President Xi Jinping -- and it’s also the first National Security Education Day after the city had accomplished its mission under Article 23 of the Basic Law to enact the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance.
Hong Kong promulgated the ordinance on March 23 – the city’s own local national security legislation that prohibits five types of crimes endangering national security, including treason, theft of State secrets and espionage.
Hong Kong will hold a slew of activities on Monday to mark National Security Education Day following the opening ceremony and seminar, including carnivals, a quiz on national security, parades and a drawing competition.
The city’s disciplined forces, including the Hong Kong Police Force, the Customs and Excise Department and the Immigration Department, have held open days at their facilities over the weekend, inviting thousands of residents to witness at first hand their daily operations and gain deeper knowledge about national security through interactive games and activities.
