The draft decision on establishing and improving the legal system and enforcement mechanisms for the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) to safeguard national security received plaudits during the third session of the 13th National People’s Congress (NPC)on Friday, signaling that the timely move by the NPC serves the collective will of 1.4 billion Chinese, Hong Kong compatriots included.

The practice of “one country, two systems” has achieved unprecedented success for nearly 23 years after Hong Kong’s handover. Since the amendment bill disturbance in 2019, the radical separatist forces and foreign anti-China forces have become increasingly rampant, severely undermining the “one country, two systems” principle, rule of law as well as jeopardizing China’s sovereignty, security and development interests. Strong measures must be taken to prevent, stop, and punish them in accordance with the rule of law.

It has become the consensus of all Chinese people, including our compatriots in Hong Kong, to oppose violence, abide by the rule of law and protect people’s livelihood, to prevent Hong Kong from becoming an “undefended” city. This is the background and internal logic for the NPC to act on relevant legislation.

Such a move will not affect the legitimate rights and freedoms enjoyed by Hong Kong residents under the law, but only affect separatist forces and foreign anti-China forces, who have already started to smear Hong Kong out of fear. In the process, they have become more violent, threatening to bring the city’s traffic to a standstill and even “perish with” Hong Kong. This shows that the legislation is both a matter of urgency and a crucial step. The anti-China forces must understand that their previous conspiracies have failed, and their present and future struggles will never succeed.

Without national security, the principle of “one country, two systems” would be meaningless. Without stability, Hong Kong will never be able to prosper fully. How can Hong Kong remain peaceful without the elimination of separatist forces and foreign anti-China forces? To establish and improve the legal system and enforcement mechanisms for the HKSAR to safeguard national security, we need to consolidate the institutional foundation for the implementation of the principle of “one country, two systems.”

We can expect that the anti-China interest groups in Hong Kong will use their usual tricks of fabricating rumors and malicious slander, misleading international public opinion, and begging for help from Western anti-China forces. Some foreign powers will again blatantly support and protect separatist forces in Hong Kong and interfere in specific Hong Kong affairs that endanger China’s national security.

However, national security is the fundamental premise for the survival and development of a country. No country in the world allows secessionists or other activities that endanger its national security to be carried out on its territory. Therefore, it is reasonable and lawful for China’s top legislative body to plug the loopholes in Hong Kong concerning national security. There is no doubt that the NPC must have taken a careful consideration and made full preparations before making such a crucial decision.

It is necessary to warn any anti-China forces that they should not underestimate the ability and determination of the central government to handle Hong Kong issues.