Impending Hong Kong security law language stirs ‘growing concern’, former US consul general says

Hong Kong attempted to pass Article 23 legislation in 2003, but it was dropped after about half a million people took to the streets in protest amid fears the law could be used to curtail civil rights.

Smith noted a discussion was under way about “holistic security”, a concept he perceived as originating on the mainland.

The retired diplomat described sentiments towards the developments as ranging between measured and uneasy.

“There are some in the business community who I think are apt to focus on what they would see as surface quote unquote stability and think that these national security issues won’t apply to us,” Smith said.

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In explaining the “holistic view of national security” used to produce the legislation, a consultation paper released by the Hong Kong government last month “emphasises the necessity to understand and respond to security risks which are dynamic, diverse and often interrelated from a broad, macro and holistic perspective”.

The document said holistic national security encompassed 20 “major, traditional and non-traditional, security fields”. These include economic security, financial security, science and technology security and data security.

While Hong Kong “continues to retain significant differences from the mainland”, Smith said, the emphasis on concepts like holistic national security had led to a decline in “confidence that there are going to be the mechanisms for transparency and accountability that have made Hong Kong so successful”.