(From left) Director of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the HKSAR Luo Huining; Chief Executive of HKSAR Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor; Vice-chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference Tung Chee-hwa, Vice-chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference Leung Chun-ying and Director of Office for Safeguarding National Security of the Central People's Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Zheng Yanxiong inaugurate the office in Hong Kong's Causeway Bay on July 8, 2020. (PHOTO / XINHUA)

HONG KONG/BEIJING - The Office for Safeguarding National Security of the Central People's Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) was inaugurated here on Wednesday morning, marking a major step forward to restoring law and order in the global financial hub.

A plaque bearing the name of the new office was jointly unveiled at an opening ceremony by Tung Chee-hwa and Leung Chun-ying, both vice-chairmen of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, chief executive of the HKSAR, Luo Huining, director of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the HKSAR and the national security adviser to the Committee for Safeguarding National Security of the HKSAR, and Zheng Yanxiong, director of the newly established national security office, drawing rousing applause of the around 80 attendees representing various sectors of Hong Kong.

Addressing the ceremony, Lam said the inauguration of the office "marked a historic moment and another milestone in establishing and improving the legal system and enforcement mechanisms for safeguarding national security in the HKSAR".

The central government has full trust in the HKSAR and authorizes it to fulfil the main task of safeguarding national security, but still needs to retain the power to address an extremely small number of cases which the HKSAR is unable to deal with, Lam said.

Carrie Lam said the inauguration of the office "marked a historic moment and another milestone in establishing and improving the legal system and enforcement mechanisms for safeguarding national security in the HKSAR"

She expected the office to be a significant partner of the HKSAR government in safeguarding national security.

The Committee for Safeguarding National Security of the HKSAR, chaired by Lam, will set up a mechanism of coordination with the office as soon as possible, and other relevant authorities of the HKSAR government will also build coordination mechanisms with the office to enhance information sharing and operations cooperation, Lam said.

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The office will perform its mandate in strict compliance with the law and be subject to supervision in accordance with the law, and will not infringe upon the lawful rights and interests of any individual or organization, Luo said.

The office was established in accordance with the Law of the People's Republic of China on Safeguarding National Security in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, which was adopted by China's top legislature and promulgated in the HKSAR on June 30.

According to the national security law, the office analyzes and assesses developments related to safeguarding national security in the HKSAR, provides opinions and makes proposals on major strategies and important policies, and oversees, guides, coordinates with and supports the HKSAR in assuming the duties for safeguarding national security.

The office also collects and analyzes intelligence and information about national security and handles cases on offenses endangering national security.

The law stipulates that the new office will handle national security cases when the HKSAR has difficulties in exercising jurisdiction due to the involvement of foreign or external forces or is unable to effectively enforce law due to the severity of a situation occurring, as well as when there is a major and imminent threat to national security.

While authorizing the HKSAR to exercise jurisdiction over most of the cases related to national security, the central government exercises jurisdiction over a very small number of cases so as to uphold the bottom line of safeguarding national security in Hong Kong, Luo said.

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The national security office is "the envoy of Hong Kong's security" and "the gatekeeper of national security," said Luo Huining, director of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the HKSAR and the national security adviser to the Committee for Safeguarding National Security of the HKSAR

Safeguarding national security is essentially within the purview of the central government, which has both the power and the responsibility to take all necessary measures to safeguard national security, Luo said.

The promulgation and implementation of the national security law is "the turning point for Hong Kong from turmoil to stability," Luo added.

Any acts and activities endangering national security are bound to be effectively prevented, curbed and punished so that the practice of "one country, two systems" in Hong Kong will not be distorted and will continue to brim with dynamism, he said.

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Zheng said in his speech that the office will resolutely fulfil its mandate to safeguard national security and exercise relevant powers in accordance with the law.

The office will not infringe upon the lawful rights and interests of any individual or organization, Zheng said.

Welcoming support from all sectors in Hong Kong for the office, Zheng called for joint efforts to safeguard national sovereignty, security and development interests, promote the steady and sustained implementation of "one country, two systems," and ensure the prosperity and stability of Hong Kong.

Echoing Luo on the central government's exercise of jurisdiction, former secretary for justice of the HKSAR Elsie Leung Oi-sie said the provision in the national security law was reasonable and she believed that the office will only exercise jurisdiction under specific circumstances.

Most of the cases concerning national security will still be handled by the HKSAR government and related authorities and there will only be a few cases that need to be addressed by the national security office, said Lau Siu-kai, vice-chairman of the Chinese Association of Hong Kong and Macao Studies, adding that the legitimate rights and interests of Hong Kong residents will not be impaired.

Later in the day, the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council (HKMAO) voiced firm support for the office.

"We extend warm congratulations on the inauguration of the national security office in Hong Kong and will fully support and cooperate with it to fulfill its duties and responsibilities," the HKMAO said in a statement.