China News Service, Toronto, March 22. Chinese Ambassador to Canada Cong Peiwu recently published a signed article in the mainstream media "Ottawa Life" magazine in the Canadian Capital Region, saying that the legislation of Article 23 of the Hong Kong Basic Law is a satisfactory answer to a "must-answer question" handed over by Hong Kong. . Under high-level security guarantees, we are confident that Hong Kong will achieve high-quality development and high-level opening up, that "one country, two systems" will be stable and far-reaching, and that Hong Kong will be governed and prospered.
In this article titled "Article 23 legislation is a "must-answer" for Hong Kong's governance and development", Cong Peiwu said that many Canadian friends he has met recently are very concerned about the 23-article legislation that has just been unanimously passed by the Hong Kong Legislative Council. ("Maintenance of National Security Ordinance") impact on Hong Kong governance. I told them that Article 23 legislation is a "must answer" for Hong Kong's governance and prosperity.
The article said that the "Maintenance of National Security Ordinance" is a law that complies with the will of the people, protects security, and protects development. It marks the Hong Kong SAR's implementation of the constitutional responsibilities stipulated in Article 23 of the Basic Law and the improvement of the SAR's legal system and enforcement mechanism for safeguarding national security. The significant progress has been made, which provides an important institutional guarantee for Hong Kong to accelerate its transformation from governance to revitalization. It is an important milestone in the development of the "one country, two systems" cause in the new era and new journey.
The article said that Article 23 of the legislation builds a strong barrier to safeguard national security. Hong Kong's "Maintenance of National Security Ordinance" balances the maintenance of national security with the protection of rights, freedoms and economic development, and fully draws on similar legislative experiences in other countries. It will help the SAR better coordinate development and security, better leverage Hong Kong's unique status and advantages, and better Deepen more open and closer exchanges and cooperation between Hong Kong and other countries and regions, including Canada.
The article said that the 23-article legislation consolidates the foundation for the stable and long-term implementation of "one country, two systems". The Article 23 legislation will, together with the Hong Kong National Security Law, become an important legal guarantee for safeguarding "one country, two systems." In this way, the stronger the "one country" principle is and the more obvious the advantages of "two systems" are, the more stable and further "one country, two systems" will be.
The article said that Article 23 legislation has won widespread support from all walks of life in Hong Kong. The SAR government held nearly 30 consultation meetings to explain the consultation documents in detail and listen carefully to the opinions and suggestions of all parties. A total of 13,489 opinions were received, of which 98.6% expressed support. From major political and social groups to major chambers of commerce and professional groups, all sectors of society have spoken out in support of the legislation. Foreign chambers of commerce and enterprises in Hong Kong have also expressed their understanding and support for the legislation in different ways.
The article said that when the dust of thousands of miles is gone, there will be peace in Hong Kong. The Chinese government is unswervingly determined to safeguard national sovereignty, security, and development interests, implement the "one country, two systems" policy, and oppose any external interference in Hong Kong affairs. Canada and a handful of other Western countries will never succeed in attacking and smearing the National Security Regulations, and are destined to fail.