Commentary
HONG KONG – It has been a year since the national security law in Hong Kong came into force, and the results have spoken for themselves. With the return of law and order, residents have regained their peaceful lives after prolonged unrest in 2019.
In the face of a rising smear campaign, constant vigilance will ensure the hard-won stability will not be ruined. Hong Kong should not slip into chaos again.
What Hong Kong and its residents saw and suffered two years ago should not be forgotten. Relentless violence and vandalism trampled the rule of law, and ordinary people lived in fear. It posed the most serious threat to “One Country, Two Systems” since Hong Kong’s return to the motherland.
It was the enactment of the national security law that saved the city.
Six months after the law took effect, arson and vandalism cases went down by 80 percent and 40 percent, respectively. In the first quarter of this year, crime dropped by 10 percent. A survey showed that over 80 percent of respondents recognized the improving social conditions.
However, those basic facts were deliberately ignored by anti-China rumormongers, who spared no effort to stigmatize and demonize the national security law in the name of freedom and human rights.
Is Hong Kong losing its freedom? Certainly not.
Under the law, the legitimate rights and property of Hong Kong people are well protected. Overseas news outlets and their staff in Hong Kong continue to increase, and the press and Hong Kong residents can still supervise the administration of the government.
As stability and certainty have resumed, Hong Kong’s business environment becomes even better, and investors are more reassured and confident.
Over the past year, the initial public offering (IPO) funds raised in Hong Kong exceeded HK$500 billion, representing an increase of more than 50 percent year on year. Total deposits in Hong Kong banks rose by over 5 percent from a year ago. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) also reconfirmed Hong Kong’s status as an international financial center in a recent report.
The peaceful situation and robust business activities prove that the so-called “white terror” – a term used by anti-China forces to smear the circumstances in Hong Kong – is unfounded, and there is no such thing as a “chilling effect” caused by the national security law.
Law enforcement operations only target a handful of criminals endangering national security but protect the vast majority of law-abiding residents.
Hong Kong has returned to stability thanks to the law, but it is yet to let its guard down.
Instigators of Hong Kong riots are still waiting for a chance, and external forces have never stopped interfering in Hong Kong affairs and China’s internal affairs. In addition, the risk from local extremists and homegrown terrorism must not be underestimated.
The stability in Hong Kong did not come easy and thus should be sincerely cherished. Concerted efforts from everyone are needed to safeguard this peaceful and prosperous region.
With the national security law and improvements to the electoral system, there is every reason to believe that Hong Kong will open a new chapter, and “One Country, Two Systems” will embrace continued success. – Xinhua
