February 1, 2024
HONG KONG – Legislation related to Article 23 of the Basic Law continues to garner support in and outside Hong Kong, with experts saying that the proposed ordinance offers a good opportunity to optimize the city’s national security education and deepen students’ understanding of national security.
The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government launched a public consultation on the legislation of Article 23 of the Basic Law on Tuesday by introducing a local national security ordinance to address national security risks. The move has received support from various local sectors.
READ MORE: HK begins public consultation on national security legislation
On Wednesday, Ministry of Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Wang Wenbin said the completion of the Article 23 legislation will guarantee Hong Kong‘s long-term stability and serve the interests of all local residents as well as investors worldwide.
Chu Kwok-keung, a Hong Kong lawmaker representing the education sector, said that the Article 23 legislation offers a good opportunity to optimize Hong Kong’s national security education. While improving the city’s legal framework for safeguarding national security, the legislation could also enrich the content of national security education for primary and secondary school students, which currently mainly focuses on the National Security Law for Hong Kong.
Chu said he believes that the education sector should take this opportunity to enhance national security education. For example, since the teaching content would be greatly enriched, the depth of the content could be adjusted according to different grade levels to achieve better educational outcomes.
In addition to modifying school curricula, he suggested hosting other activities, such as study tours and film appreciation.
Reflecting on the social unrest in 2019, Chu emphasized that students will have a peaceful environment for learning only when national security is fully safeguarded.
Chu said that the unrest also affected school education, leading some students being incited to participate in illegal activities, such as radical street violence. This deeply saddened the education sector, and also make the whole sector realized that the threat to national security is not distant, and safeguarding national security needs to start with school education.
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To understand the importance of safeguarding national security, Chu also called for helping students develop a sense of belonging to the country and also gain an understanding of the international situation and potential crises.
Highlighting the importance of education in raising awareness among Hong Kong youth about safeguarding national security, Angus Ng Hok-ming, chairman of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Youth Association, suggested organizing legal knowledge lectures and seminars.
Ng said that national security is the social foundation for young people to achieve personal development. Only when the long-term societal environment is safe and stable can young people pursue their dreams and seek better career development, he said.
District councilor Lo Hiu-fung, who is also vice-president of the Tai Po Youths Association, emphasized the importance to explain the rationality behind the legislation to the youth.
READ MORE: Enactment of Article 23 will ‘put an end to issues troubling HK’
He said that young people could be easily incited by negative information, which may foster a misunderstanding about safeguarding national security among them.
Lo said he believes that it is important to help young people understand that numerous countries worldwide have their own laws in place to safeguard national security.