Hong Kong Security Legislation Nears Vote as Lawmakers to Meet

Alan Wong
·1 min read

(Bloomberg) -- Hong Kong’s legislature will convene Tuesday to resume reading of a new security bill that’s being fast-tracked by the government.

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The Legislative Council will meet at 9 a.m. to continue a second reading of the bill, which will be followed by a third and possibly final reading, according to the legislature’s agenda.

Officials and lawmakers have worked to speed the bill through the council. The city’s leader John Lee, who returned early from the National People’s Congress in Beijing, has said there’s a need to pass the law as soon as possible to guard against risks from increasingly complex geopolitics and national security threats.

Lawmakers completed a clause-by-clause scrutiny of the 212-page bill on Friday. The legislation was published just a week earlier, days after a public consultation period ended.

The passage of the domestically-drafted law comes almost four years after Beijing imposed its own national security law on Hong Kong after pro-democracy protests rocked the city. Hong Kong was required under its mini-constitution to enact its own security legislation, but previous administrations failed to do so due to public opposition.

The new law will provide authorities with wider tools to minimize dissent. The legislation will also cover external interference and state secrets. Police will be given expanded powers to detain and investigate those suspected of endangering national security, while sentences will be toughened.

Read more: Hong Kong Fast-Tracks New Security Law at Beijing’s Urging

Approval of the legislation isn’t in doubt as authorities previously took steps to ensure only “patriots” could be lawmakers.

--With assistance from Josh Xiao.

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