Hong Kong lawmakers and policy observers on Tuesday welcomed the central government’s latest white paper on the city’s role in safeguarding national security, saying it reflects the central government’s resolute stance on backing Hong Kong’s national security efforts, which remains a permanent priority for the city.

They said that the document articulates a proper balance between freedom and security — an essential foundation for the city’s long-term development.

The white paper was released a day after former media mogul Jimmy Lai Chee-ying was sentenced to 20 years in jail on national security charges.

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Lau Siu-kai, a consultant to the Beijing-based think tank the Chinese Association of Hong Kong and Macau Studies, described the timing of the document’s release as tactical and strategic.

It was intended to preempt Western allegations of political interference in Lai’s case, he said, while casting the trial’s completion as a pivotal juncture and clarifying that safeguarding national security will continue to be a fundamental responsibility for the HKSAR government. It is for all fronts of society to learn from past security lapses, he added.

Lau said that Hong Kong remains exposed to security threats, among them emerging and unconventional risks, on a variety of fronts including cybersecurity, financial stability, infrastructure safety, and overseas asset protection, which call for more targeted national security strategies.

Bill Tang Ka-piu, a member of the Hong Kong Legislative Council, said the HKSAR National Security Law has been instrumental in targeting a small group of lawbreakers undermining the country’s security while protecting the rights of the majority. This approach has been pivotal in restoring order following social unrest and is now driving the city’s advancement from stability to prosperity, he said.

Tang added that high-quality implementation of “one country, two systems” hinges on six “must-follow imperatives”: actions on development with a sense of urgency; full adherence to “patriots administering Hong Kong”; a firm executive-led governance system; national security work rooted in the rule of law and the common law system; a balanced approach to progress and protection; and a holistic view of national security.

“Safeguarding national security can only be discussed in the progressive tense, not the perfect tense,” he said. “Society must remain on alert and strictly guard against all forms of confrontational acts by anti-China disruptors in the Hong Kong SAR.”

Welcoming the white paper’s release, Ken Ip Man-ho, chairman of the Asia MarTech Society and a member of advisory boards of several professional organizations, described it as a forward-looking move that emphasizes security. Without it, political rights, economic freedom, and social stability become vulnerable and cannot last, he said.

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“The real question is not whether security matters, but how it is institutionalized, constrained by law, and aligned with long-term development,” Ip said, adding that the white paper represents a substantive attempt to articulate that balance.

Lawmaker Dominic Lee Tsz-king highlighted the paper’s “straightforward yet essential” argument: “Security is not the enemy of freedom, but its prerequisite.”

Lee described the white paper as both a record of Hong Kong’s resurgence from “its darkest chapter” and “a promise for the future”. Under “one country, two systems” and with the strong backing of the central government, Hong Kong will keep thriving as “one of the world’s great cities — secure, free, and full of possibilities”, he said.

Ni Xuechun contributed to the story.