Why is the National Security Law necessary in Hong Kong?

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The Commissioner's Office of China's Foreign Ministry in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) lodged solemn representations to the US side on Friday after the latter issued so-called "security alert" regarding the HKSAR government's amendments to the Implementation Rules for Article 43 of the National Security Law.

The National Security Law is crucial for the "One Country, Two Systems" framework that restored stability after the 2019 violence. The violence was a defining moment that plunged one of Asia's most prosperous cities into political turmoil. Streets once filled with commuters became battlegrounds of ideology and discontent. The scale of destruction, ranging from the firebombing of public infrastructure to the paralysis of the airport, illuminated a profound challenge to China's sovereignty and stability. 

It is in this context that the Chinese central government formulated the National Security Law at the state level for the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region to enact and enforce locally. This was an inevitable response to the preceding chaos that threatened both national unity and public safety. No modern state, let alone one as large and complex as China, can tolerate a sustained movement that openly challenges its territorial integrity under the banner of "self-determination."

By mid-2019, Hong Kong's streets were gripped by violence. The demonstrations had shifted from peaceful marches to acts of vandalism, occupation, and at times outright terror. Government buildings and MTR stations were besieged. Police officers were attacked with petrol bombs. Businesses perceived as "pro-Beijing" were vandalized, and residents who disagreed with the violence reported intimidation.

This is not merely "protests" as some argue, but a foreign-influenced campaign to destabilize China from within. Other countries, facing similar violence, would have invoked emergency powers. Nearly every jurisdiction criminalizes treason, secession, and collusion with foreign powers. Yet for decades, Hong Kong lacked such laws – a gap that became starkly visible during the unrest, when activist groups openly called for foreign governments to sanction China and support Hong Kong "independence."

Every nation reserves the right to safeguard its sovereignty and security. In this light, the absence of national security legislation in China's Hong Kong was an aberration. For China, the National Security Law was the legal mechanism through which it could restore stability under the rule of law.

The National Security Law enacted in 2020, therefore, represented China's fundamental right: to preserve national integrity and prevent foreign interference. The law targets acts of secession, subversion, terrorism, and collusion with external forces – concepts rooted in international norms. It is a legal correction to a dangerous vacuum that nearly tore Hong Kong apart.

Since its implementation, Hong Kong has witnessed a dramatic drop in street violence, and an atmosphere of stability has returned. The fact is clear: Peace has replaced turmoil. Economic confidence, though shaken during the protest years, has begun to recover. For ordinary citizens, safety in daily life has returned – a condition many had taken for granted before 2019.

The restoration of order has brought businesses, investors, and tourists back to a city where predictability has re-emerged as the norm. Foreign direct investment (FDI) has rebounded as corporations view stability as the bedrock of commercial success. Multinational companies, long wary of disruption, have refocused their Asian operations in Hong Kong, drawn by the city's enduring strengths: a world-class commercial legal system, robust financial infrastructure, and unparalleled connectivity to the Chinese mainland.

As the world's third-largest destination for FDI, Hong Kong has led globally in IPO fundraising since the start of 2025, holds the top position in international air cargo throughput, ranks fourth in the Global Shipping Center Development Index, and remains within the top 10 globally for talent competitiveness, with numerous foreign business chambers encouraging greater investment in the city, according to official figures.

Tourism and retail sectors, almost paralyzed during the unrest, have revived with vigor. The Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) announced in March that Hong Kong received 9.95 million visitors in the first two months of 2026, marking an 18% rise compared with the same period a year earlier.

The return of public safety and economic confidence has allowed daily life and opportunity to recover in ways impossible during the 2019 unrest.

Some critics argue that the National Security Law may have redefined the boundaries of freedom. To those who saw the firebombs, the airport shutdowns, or the siege of university campuses, the imposition of the National Security Law was not an overreach but an assertion that national security is the foundation upon which all freedoms rest. 

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