National security covered in different laws: SJ

Secretary for Justice Teresa Cheng cautioned on Saturday that acts considered to endanger national security could go far beyond the specific crimes laid out in the Beijing-imposed National Security Law (NSL).

“The courts, including the Court of Final Appeal, have confirmed that seditious acts – as stated in Articles 9 and 10 of the Crimes Ordinance – are considered as national security offences,” she told RTHK’s NSL Chronicles programme.

“People should not only look at the National Security Law, because national security is a very broad concept, and different legislation can also have provisions on safeguarding national security.”

Cheng said the NSL struck a balance between human rights and the principle of rule of law. She also stressed that it represented the central government’s trust in the SAR administration.

She pointed to Hong Kong as being the only local government in the world that has the right to adjudicate national security cases, fully reflecting the principle of “One Country, Two Systems”.