China News Service, Hong Kong, February 29 (Reporter Liu Dawei) The public consultation period for the legislation of Article 23 of the Hong Kong Basic Law ended on the 28th. During the period, more than 13,000 opinions were received, and the vast majority supported the legislation.
Regarding the legislation of Article 23 of the Basic Law, many members of the Hong Kong community have expressed their support in recent days, believing that this is the cornerstone of Hong Kong's long-term peace and stability.
Wen Yingyi, deputy to the National People's Congress in Hong Kong and president of the Hong Kong and Guangxi Federation of Associations, said that most countries in the world have laws to safeguard their own national security and adopt severe legal sanctions against behavior that endangers their national sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Wen Yingyi believes that for Hong Kong, it is urgent to complete the legislation of Article 23 of the Basic Law. The sooner the legislation is completed, the more conducive to Hong Kong's long-term prosperity and stability and injecting greater impetus into the business environment and economic development.
Only a safe and stable environment can effectively protect the lives and property of citizens, focus on solving various deep-seated development problems, better consolidate and enhance Hong Kong's advantages, and advance rapidly on the road from governance to prosperity.
Liu Aili, chairman of the Hong Kong Shandong Overseas Chinese Association, said that completing the legislation of Article 23 of the Basic Law is a constitutional responsibility that Hong Kong must fulfill and has sufficient constitutional and legal foundations.
Only by improving the legal system and enforcement mechanism for safeguarding national security can Hong Kong's rule of law be further consolidated, which will be more conducive to attracting investment and talents, promote Hong Kong's overall economic prosperity and development, and further consolidate its status as one of the "Eight Major Centers".
Liu Aili said that advancing the legislation of Article 23 of the Basic Law must be done as soon as possible.
Only by completing the legislative work as soon as possible and improving the legal system and mechanisms for safeguarding national security can we ensure a stable legal environment, focus on improving the economy and benefiting people's livelihood, and allow all walks of life to fully enjoy the development dividends brought by governance and prosperity.
Gai Xiangyu, president of the Yantai Friendship Association of Hong Kong, said that it has been 26 years since Hong Kong returned to the motherland, but Article 23 of the Basic Law has not yet been enacted. This has allowed anti-China and Hong Kong elements to take the opportunity to interfere with Hong Kong affairs and undermine social legal order. It has brought serious troubles to Hong Kong society and citizens.
The necessity and urgency of legislation in Article 23 of the Basic Law are self-evident.
The sooner the SAR government completes legislation and fills in the existing legal deficiencies, the more prosperous and stable Hong Kong society can be guaranteed.
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