Vice Chairman of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) Tung Chee-hwa (7th L), Chief Executive of China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor (6th L), Director of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the HKSAR Wang Zhimin (8th L), Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China in the HKSAR Xie Feng (4th L) and other guests attend a symposium in Hong Kong, south China, April 15, 2018. China's HKSAR marked on Sunday the country's third National Security Education Day with a symposium that discussed the HKSAR's constitutional responsibility for national security. (Xinhua/Li Peng)
HONG KONG, April 15 (Xinhua) -- China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) marked on Sunday the country's third National Security Education Day with a symposium that discussed the HKSAR's constitutional responsibility for national security.
The symposium, the first of its kind in the HKSAR, was organized by think tank the Hong Kong Policy Research Institute and participated by over 400 people.
HKSAR Chief Executive Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor said when addressing the symposium that the HKSAR, an inseparable part of China, has the responsibility to maintain national security, and this responsibility is fully consistent with Hong Kong's own interests.
Describing Hong Kong society's understanding of national security as vague and weak, Lam said she hoped the symposium would clear up Hong Kong people's misconception about national security and take the National Security Education Day as an opportunity to enhance the awareness of national security in Hong Kong society.
Wang Zhimin, director of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in HKSAR, said in his address that maintaining national security is in accordance with safeguarding the fundamental wellbeing of Hong Kong compatriots, the historical process of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, as well as the principle of "one country, two systems."
Wang said he hoped that Hong Kong people would work together in maintaining national security to jointly promote the steady progress of "one country, two systems."
The National Security Education Day, which falls on April 15 each year to raise awareness of national security among the public, was designated by the National Security Law passed by the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC) on July 1, 2015.
Zheng Shuna, vice chairperson of the Legislative Affairs Commission of NPC Standing Committee, said at the symposium that the Hong Kong and Macao SARs' administrative, legislative and judicial bodies should take lead in shouldering the responsibility of maintaining national security and fulfill the responsibility through legislation.
Several HKSAR government officials also talked at the symposium about the government's policies and efforts for Hong Kong's security in terms of public order, health and finance.
