April 6, 2023
HONG KONG – The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region will mark its first National Security Education Day on April 15 since the city made a full return to normal life after the COVID-19 pandemic. The day will include a wide range of activities, some of which will be held for the first time.
An opening ceremony will take place on the day with the theme “National Security: The Foundation of Stability and Prosperity”, Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu said on Tuesday ahead of the weekly Executive Council meeting.
Representatives of central government departments based in the SAR will attend the event to express their support. The city’s chief secretary for administration, the financial secretary and the secretary for justice will co-chair a themed seminar with in-depth discussions about national security issues.
A citywide promotion campaign will also be launched for the first time to improve residents’ awareness of national security. The activities will be organized and coordinated by the Home and Youth Affairs Bureau and its district offices
Hong Kong’s disciplined forces will hold National Security Cup sports competitions to enhance their engagement of national security education. They will take part in a flag-raising ceremony on National Security Education Day, and five of their training schools will be opened to the public to deepen the public’s understanding of the roles and duties of the disciplined forces.
A citywide promotion campaign will also be launched for the first time to improve residents’ awareness of national security. The activities will be organized and coordinated by the Home and Youth Affairs Bureau and its district offices.
About 60,000 picture books with animated stories about national security education will be distributed at primary schools.
Television programs, exhibitions, and thematic workshops at schools also will be rolled out with the aim of covering all ages in national security education.
The National Security Law of the People’s Republic of China was adopted on July 1, 2015, at the 15th Session of the Standing Committee of the 12th National People’s Congress, and April 15 was designated as the annual National Security Education Day.
Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu speaks to the media ahead of an Executive Council meeting on April 4, 2023. (PHOTO / HKSAR GOVERNMENT)
The special administrative region has been holding high-profile events to mark the day since the National Security Law for Hong Kong was promulgated by the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress in June 2020, restoring stability and order in the city.
Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu said the SAR government will deal decisively with labor shortage so that it will not affect services for the public and the city’s competitiveness, adding that he hopes the government will announce by the middle of the year overall strategies to cope with the shortage in construction and public transportation sectors
Lee also announced that the SAR government officials and other civil service officials will visit the mainland more frequently. Lee will soon lead 90 Legislative Council members on a visit to several mainland cities in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. This trip will help Hong Kong lawmakers and officials better understand the development of technology, youth and manufacturing, and encourage them to further promote cross-border cooperation, he added.
Relief labor shortage
During Tuesday’s media briefing, Lee also responded to society’s concerns on the city’s labor shortage. He said the SAR government will deal decisively with the issue so that it will not affect services for the public and the city’s competitiveness, adding that he hopes the government will announce by the middle of the year overall strategies to cope with the shortage in construction and public transportation sectors.
According to a Construction Industry Council report in February, the industry could see a shortage of 10,000 skilled workers this year.
Peter Shiu Ka-fai, a LegCo member for the Wholesale and Retail Functional Constituency, suggested that the SAR government could import workers from other parts of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area to avoidaffecting housing rentals. The government could also suspend extending their visas in times of economic recession, he added.