'Beijing will be at ease when Article 23 work is done'
A deputy head of a national think tank on Hong Kong affairs said on Wednesday that enacting new national security laws in the SAR will make the central government feel at ease. Tam Yiu-chung of the Chinese Association of Hong Kong and Macau Studies told RTHK that he thinks the SAR government has done well with its preparatory work for Basic Law Article 23 legislation, saying the consultation document was written in a way that is easy for people to understand.  Asked whether the new law could affect Hong Kong's image or investor confidence, Tam said overseas countries have stringent security laws and there's no reason why the SAR shouldn't add more legislation to protect itself. "Society became more stable once the National Security Law was in place, and once we have new security laws under Article 23 of the Basic Law, we can enjoy prolonged peace and stability," he said. "That's because we [will] have a complete legal system. Long-term stability is important. We now have an answer on the matter, we have laws to protect national security, so the central government will feel at ease."  Tam, who's also a former member of the National People's Congress Standing Committee, added that the public consultation period of around a month is adequate, and people interested in the matter can spend the upcoming Lunar New Year holiday studying the consultation document. He said that although the government tried and failed to enact Article 23 legislation two decades ago, the situation has changed since and Hong Kong people now agree with having national security laws.