The internal or national security of any country is very sensitive to be left to foreigners or disloyal citizens. Out of no choice, it is only in colonized countries that a country’s fate is left in the hands of its masters.
Therefore, it was rather curious when the West, that is, the United States and its allies, rose up in arms against the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region’s (HKSAR) National Security Law (NSL), a move that was aimed at securing the region’s 25 years’ independence after it reverted to motherland China after British occupation on July 1, 1997.
A brainchild of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress (NPC), the NSL was passed on June 30, 2020 in response to riots that rocked the region due to a proposed 2019 bill that sought the extradition of criminal suspects to face charges in motherland China. The NSL’s 66 comprehensive articles offered HKSAR a much-needed framework to deal with increasing crimes such as secession, subversion, terrorism, and unpatriotic behavior like colluding with external or foreign forces.
To make the region’s internal security tighter still, in March 2021 the NPC amended the electoral rules to improve HKSAR’s electoral system to ensure that it is governed exclusively by patriots. These two pieces of legislation have given more power to Hongkongers in the management of their internal affairs, thus creating more democratic space through wide representation. But freedom has to be accompanied by an equal amount of responsibility.
The stakes were too high for the affairs of HKSAR to be left to foreigners, or even chance. Over the quarter century, the HKSAR’s Gross Domestic Product grew from 1.37 trillion HK dollars to 2.86 trillion HK dollars. Under the guidance of the motherland, the region has weathered storms like both the Asian and global financial crises, the SARS epidemic, and the recent COVID-19 pandemic as well. The so called pro-democracy riots that rocked Hong Kong between 2019 and 2020 are also a thing of the past.
Now, even after the territory’s sovereignty was handed back to the People’s Republic of China, it has remained a shipping, trade and financial hub for Western multinationals and citizens. Some would say it is a Western playground as it still retains the socio-economic conveniences found in the developed Western capitals. In fact, the enactment and subsequent implementation of the law in June 2020 has secured what experts term as the three “remarkable capitalist characteristics” – horse racing, ballroom dancing and stock trading.
There is no instance that critics of the NSL have shown the world that the law has interfered with the free movement of people or the curtailment of their activities. Hong Kong is the only administrative region in the world that has successfully run on “one country, two systems,” a mode of governance that allows both socialism and capitalism to thrive alongside each other. Clearly, there cannot be a better endorsement and vote of confidence in the governance of the region.
The liberal Canadian Fraser Institute has awarded the HKSAR the title of the world’s freest economy since 1997. The Worldwide Governance Indicators by the World Bank shows that the city’s rule of law percentile ranking has kept above 90 points since 2003, compared to only 69.85 points before HKSAR’s return to the motherland. In addition, money raised by newly listed stocks have risen by over 30 percent compared with the same period prior to the national security law.
The reason why the National Atlantic Treaty Organization recently promised to increase its military presence in the European Union is to safeguard the member countries’ national security. Its reason for supporting Ukraine against Russia’s invasion is to achieve the same objective. So why does the West begrudge others the need to secure their people and resources by establishing a clear system for the enjoyment and enforcement of the rule of law in their own terms?
Conversely, intervention by the West ostensibly to help secure the national security of some countries has actually been a guise for interfering in their internal affairs to achieve hegemonic designs. Those like the HKSAR who totally resist this meddling are targeted for sabotage, particularly economically and politically. But Hong Kong has prevailed, proving once again its resilience as a global financial hub.
The challenge now is for Hong Kong to not only maintain its current upward trajectory as a global business and financial fulcrum, but to increase the efficiency and the ease of doing business to rival any top business destination in the world.
The city should not take its current stability for granted by resting on its laurels. Eternal vigilance is the price it must pay to stay on top. Going forward, however, the West must stop trying to kill the goose that lays the golden egg.
ENDS
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