HK legislators pass National Anthem Bill (2)

The Hong Kong SAR legislature on Thursday passed the National Anthem Bill. [Parker Zheng/China Daily]

The Chinese General Chamber of Commerce of Hong Kong said in a statement that the law's enactment will safeguard the dignity of the national anthem.

Jonathan Choi Koon-shum, the chamber's chairman, said the past year of street violence shows the importance of boosting the sense of national identity among Hong Kong people, particularly among the younger generation.

Choi urged the SAR government and the community to join hands to fully implement the law, so that the younger generation will have more respect for the national anthem and the nation.

The bill had been held up for more than a year owing to filibustering by opposition lawmakers. Thursday's deliberations were suspended for hours after two opposition lawmakers splashed foul-smelling liquids in the chamber.

Legislative Council President Andrew Leung Kwan-yuen condemned the "irresponsible" acts of the opposition, saying that its obstructive tactics had dented the legislature's reputation and didn't live up to public expectations.

To derail the bill, opposition legislators had paralyzed the agenda-setting House Committee for nearly seven months since last October, postponing numerous livelihood-related bills.

Much attention has been given to the National Anthem Bill and the proposed national security law for Hong Kong lately by the opposition and in the United States, which announced it would revoke Hong Kong's preferential trade status over the proposed law.