CE briefs Xia Baolong on Article 23 enactment
Chief Executive John Lee has briefed the director of the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office, Xia Baolong, on the completion of the enactment of Basic Law Article 23 national security legislation. Lee and Xia met in Shenzhen on Thursday morning. Secretary for Justice Paul Lam, Secretary for Security Chris Tang and the director of the Chief Executive's Office Carol Yip also attended the meeting. According to a government statement, Lee told Xia that the administration and the Legislative Council have "jointly fulfilled the constitutional responsibility and historic mission". The CE described it as a "glorious achievement" of the implementation of "patriots administering Hong Kong", saying the government "took a result-oriented approach and united the community to jointly accomplish the legislation of Article 23 of the Basic Law". "With the passage of the Safeguarding National Security Bill, Hong Kong has established solid fortifications and consolidated its 'defence wall' in the transition from chaos to order, and it can now stride forward confidently on the prosperous path of development, focusing its full attention on developing a vibrant economy and a caring community," the statement added. In a separate meeting in Shenzhen, Xia met with Legco President Andrew Leung who briefed the senior Beijing official on his work. On Tuesday, lawmakers unanimously endorsed homegrown national security legislation under Article 23 of the Basic Law. The Safeguarding National Security Ordinance is set to take effect on Saturday.