The law pledges to uphold “state secrets” to prevent “external interference.”
The Department of State released a statement this week, saying that the U.S. is “closely monitoring” Hong Kong’s recent update to its controversial National Security Law.
Hong Kong passed its National Security Law in 2020, causing international concern over how its new censorship capabilities mirrored the policies of the People’s Republic of China (PRC). The democratic region has added an article to that law, and the State Department is concerned by its increasingly vague language, pointing to the lack of definitions around “state secrets” and “external interference.”
“Article 23 risks compounding the 2020 National Security Law that has curtailed the rights and freedoms of people in Hong Kong,” the State Department said. “Enacting additional national security legislation with vaguely defined provisions and purported extraterritorial reach would further violate the PRC’s international commitments and undermine the ‘One Country, Two Systems’ framework.”
As the Lord Leads, Pray with Us…
- For State Department officials as they interact with foreign ministers and discuss international concerns.
- For discernment for Secretary Antony Blinken as
Sources: State Department
