Chief Executive Li Jiachao mentioned during an interview with a TV program that the legislation of Article 23 of the Basic Law is the constitutional responsibility of the SAR government, but compared with time, the most important thing is to be effective, so no exact timetable will be set for this.
In addition, he said that he is studying with the mainland to discuss limited customs clearance, but there are no details to announce yet.
'National security threats can come suddenly'
Li Jiachao said that the legislation of Article 23 of the Basic Law is the constitutional responsibility of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and must be done, but the legislation is not as simple as imagined, and the most important thing is to be effective, "I am not too worried about the time, but the most important thing is whether the provisions are To effectively deal with the risk of endangering national security, we need sufficient time for research, and we don’t want to tinker with it after it is completed.” He pointed out that during the preparation of legislation, the characteristics of common law countries and similar laws in other countries will be referred to, and no one will be decided at present. Timetable, we must review the overall international situation and determine changes. Time is not the most urgent consideration, but the most important thing is to be effective.
Li Jiachao emphasized that he agrees that society needs to rest and recuperate so that citizens can feel happy, but there is always a balance point. Just like the incident in 2019, national security threats may come suddenly.
On the eve of July 1st this year, some groups were interviewed by the National Security Office of the police and were unable to hold their activities. There were also many media who were originally arranged to interview reporters of the July 1st event, but they were refused to participate in the interviews due to "security reasons". Whether the rights and freedoms guaranteed have changed.
Li Jiachao reiterated that the various rights and freedoms of Hong Kong people are guaranteed by the Basic Law, and the courts will monitor them, and it will not be the arbitrary act of the executive authorities. It is also necessary for law enforcement agencies to investigate any incident and collect intelligence.
He believes that some people make politically motivated evaluations of the situation in Hong Kong, which is not in line with the facts. He also points out that "if you don't do anything crooked, you don't need to pay attention to (law enforcement actions)."
It means that there is no exclusion from customs clearance with the mainland and overseas
When asked about the epidemic situation and customs clearance issues, Li Jiachao pointed out that the number of confirmed cases of the new coronavirus should be lowered first, and customs clearance issues still need to be communicated with the mainland.
He revealed that the government is currently working with the mainland authorities on limited convenience measures. The most important thing is to fully communicate with the relevant mainland authorities to let the relevant mainland authorities know the situation in Hong Kong, and then discuss ways to do so. , but also a pragmatic first step.”
Li Jiachao mentioned that one of the conditions for customs clearance is to better control the local epidemic, such as increasing nucleic acid testing. Currently, rapid antigen testing is less sensitive than nucleic acid testing, which can lead to "mistakes and peace of mind".
He emphasized that the strategy of customs clearance with the mainland and overseas is not exclusive.
As for whether to consider relaxing the quarantine days for arriving passengers to the "5+2" or "3+4" arrangement, that is, allowing hotel quarantine for 5 or 3 days, followed by home medical observation for 2 or 4 days, Li Jiachao said that it depends The data determines that the Director of Medical and Health will review it as soon as possible.
Customs clearance︱Lo Chongmao praised Chen Zhaoshi for his dedication to the first task of scientific anti-epidemic, connecting internal and external customs clearance to the Mainland︱Quarantine period cut by half Members said that Shenzhen hotels should not be urged to enter the Mainland after being quarantined in Hong Kong to shorten the quarantine period Members expect more opportunities for customs clearance in Hong Kong The first phase will be implemented Closed-loop customs clearance