It is a constitutional responsibility for the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) to safeguard national security, the HKSAR Chief Executive Carrie Lam said Wednesday, calling for enhanced alertness against potential dangers and joint efforts to promote public awareness of national security. 

The HKSAR, as an inseparable part of the People's Republic of China, has a constitutional responsibility to safeguard national security, which also bears on the vital interests of Hong Kong residents, Lam said in a speech for the launch of a website to promote national security education.

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The HKSAR government must enhance its alertness against potential dangers even in times of peace, she added. 

"The social incidents taking place in Hong Kong over the past year have brought home to us the importance of national security," Lam said. "By firmly safeguarding Hong Kong's security and stability, the HKSAR government fulfills its responsibility for not only the special administrative region but also the central government." 

The scope of national security also includes public health security and financial security as well as other deeper and broader areas, Lam noted. "In the face of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the HKSAR government will not slacken its effort and will continue to work together with the public to fight the outbreaks." 

The financial market of Hong Kong, an international financial center with all-round opening and free access to capital, is susceptible to external impacts. As Hong Kong's financial market is increasingly interconnected with the mainland market, plus Hong Kong's status as the world's largest offshore RMB business center, ensuring Hong Kong's financial security is of greater importance not only to Hong Kong but also to the overall financial security of the country, she pointed out. 

Stressing the importance of education in promoting public awareness of national security, Lam called for joint efforts by the HKSAR government, schools and various organizations in encouraging Hong Kong residents to better understand the importance of national security.

Liaison office says HKSAR legal system must safeguard national security

Efforts must be made as soon as possible for Hong Kong's legal system and enforcement mechanisms to safeguard national security, Luo Huining, director of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in HKSAR, said on Wednesday.

In an online address on the fifth National Security Education Day, Luo said social unrest and separatist activities in the HKSAR were serious threats to national security and Hong Kong's social stability, and stressed zero tolerance to such activities. 

He added that it is the common obligation of all Chinese people including Hong Kong compatriots and HKSAR's constitutional obligation to safeguard national security, and called for joint efforts from all walks of life in Hong Kong to fulfill this responsibility and fight to defend Hong Kong amid the coronavirus outbreak. The motherland will always provide strong backing to Hong Kong, he added.

Leung Chun-ying, vice chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), echoed Luo's remarks, saying it is necessary to strengthen national security education.

The HKSAR is the country's weak point in national security, Leung said, adding Hong Kong's opposition figures have become a pawn used by some Western countries in their rivalries with China.

As for how to enhance the sense of national security and younger generation's education in Hong Kong, Leung told CGTN that it is a matter of standing up to educate them, and if they break the law, something need to be done "in law courts". 

"Similarly, we have to deal with teachers, which is a rather alarming aspect of our education in Hong Kong," Leung added. "I think on too many occasions, Hong Kong society as a whole in certain government departments have been shying away from the responsibility of having to deal with these offenders head on."

The website

HKSAR launched a website to promote national security education on Wednesday, which marks the fifth National Security Education Day. 

Put online at 10:00 a.m. local time, the website, nsedhk.com, showed the significance of national security with text introduction, online galleries, video speeches and a Q&A game. 

Safeguarding national sovereignty, security and development interests is the common obligation of all Chinese people including Hong Kong compatriots, and the HKSAR Chief Executive and government shall unite and lead people from all walks of life in Hong Kong to fulfill this constitutional responsibility, according to the website. 

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The Standing Committee of the National People's Congress passed the National Security Law in 2015, declaring April 15 a day for raising awareness of national security among the public. 

The website, officially named National Security Education Day 2020, was launched by the Hong Kong Policy Research Institute, with the HKSAR government and the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the HKSAR as support organizers. 

The institute hosted seminars on the National Security Education Day in the past two years and held a gallery on national security in April 2019, which helped Hong Kong residents improve their understanding that the region's stability and prosperity are closely linked with national security.

(Cover: Screenshot of the video speech made by HKSAR Chief Executive Carrie Lam, April 15, 2020. /News.gov.hk)

(With input from Xinhua)

(CGTN's Zhu Dan also contributed to the story.)