Gov't vows strict vetting of applications for event subsidies, performance venues to prevent ‘soft resistance'
Hong Kong will strictly vet applications for event subsidies and performance venues, as well as exhibition content and library collections, to better safeguard national security, the city's culture minister has said.
Hong Kong is still facing threats from 'soft resistance,' which may take the form of performance content, song lyrics, and storylines, Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism Rosanna Law said in an interview with Beijing-backed newspaper Wen Wei Po published on Friday.
Law said the authorities must 'remain vigilant' at all times and that safeguarding national security was an 'ongoing process.'
'There is no completion, only continuation. We must continue to take national security work seriously and carry it out diligently,' the minister said.
The Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau has stepped up training for its personnel to 'deepen their sense of national awareness,' Law said. The bureau also vowed strict vetting of event subsidies, venue performances, exhibition content, and library collections to 'eliminate any elements that may harm national security,' she added.
Since 2021, government officials have cited 'soft resistance' as a threat to national security, although they have not provided a clear definition of the term.
A recent example cited by the authorities was the mobile game Reversed Front: Bonfire, which the government said promotes secessionist agendas, advocates 'armed revolution,' and calls for the overthrow of the 'fundamental system of the People's Republic of China.'
Commissioner of Police Joe Chow warned of 'undercurrents' and 'soft resistance' in the art, culture, and media sectors during a press conference in April, shortly after taking the helm at the force.
He later said national security legislation does not affect artistic creation in Hong Kong, adding that many artists or performers understand the 'boundaries of the law.'
Last month, former district councillor Katrina Chan Kim-kam, one of the first people arrested under Hong Kong's domestic security law, said she was told to withdraw from a play after a government department – from which the organisers rented out the venue to host the production – threatened to cancel the rental, citing a potential breach of the national security clause.
Chan was set to perform in a play at Tsuen Wan Town Hall. The venue's conditions of use for facilities state that hirers and those admitted to facilities must abide by the Beijing-imposed national security law.
In response to HKFP, the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) said all bookings are processed 'in accordance with the established booking procedures and the terms and conditions of hire.' The department also refused to comment on individual bookings.
In 2021, an HKFP report revealed that 29 out of 149 books about the 1989 Tiananmen crackdown were removed from the shelves over the past 12 years.
Local media reported in May 2023 that political titles by authors including academics Simon Shen and Ma Ngok, former lawmaker and barrister Margaret Ng, and the late prominent democrat Szeto Wah had been purged from the shelves of local public libraries.
According to Ming Pao, around 40 per cent of books and recordings about political topics or figures have been removed from public libraries since 2020. Of 468 political books and recordings identified by the newspaper, at least 195 have been removed, the newspaper reported.
In July 2023, LCSD said members of the public are 'welcome' to report books that may endanger national security, as part of its new channels for collecting views on the city's library collections.
The LCSD told HKFP in October that year that 50 reports were made by the public about suspected 'objectionable' content found in library books and other titles.
Beijing inserted national security legislation directly into Hong Kong's mini-constitution in June 2020 following a year of pro-democracy protests and unrest. It criminalised subversion, secession, collusion with foreign forces and terrorist acts – broadly defined to include disruption to transport and other infrastructure. The move gave police sweeping new powers and led to hundreds of arrests amid new legal precedents, while dozens of civil society groups disappeared. The authorities say it restored stability and peace to the city, rejecting criticism from trade partners, the UN and NGOs.
LATEST FROM HKFP
AI surveillance cameras helped prosecute 6 people for monkey feeding, Hong Kong gov't says
Taiwan says UK Navy ship sailed through Taiwan Strait
'Moving Great Wall': China's towering teen basketball star set to play at Women's Asia Cup
Meta sues Hong Kong-based company behind AI deepfake app that creates fake nude images
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
South China Morning Post
2 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong must build on progress made as it enters latest chapter
The fifth anniversary of Hong Kong's national security law was marked yesterday with a high-level forum that reflected on the past but looked to the future. Xia Baolong, Beijing's top official overseeing the city's affairs, recognised the progress Hong Kong has made since 2020, noting it had entered a new stage of development. But he warned this is a critical period for the city, which needs to adapt, seize opportunities and rise to new challenges. Xia's five-day visit has included meetings with officials, politicians, business leaders, universities and foreign chambers of commerce. It is an important trip. When the national security law was passed by China's legislature, Hong Kong was a different place, facing unprecedented difficulties. Months-long anti-government protests in 2019 rocked the city. This was followed by the Covid-19 pandemic, which also battered the economy and restricted international engagement. Xia described the legislation as a good law that targeted a small minority, had restored order and provided the foundation for the city's recovery and renewal. Hong Kong has bounced back, attracting business, investment, tourists and talent, staging international conferences and a wide variety of 'mega-events'.
South China Morning Post
17 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
Xia on Hong Kong's future: strong governance, economy, society
This story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP's journalism by subscribing . New users who download our updated app get a seven-day free trial. Beijing's point man on Hong Kong affairs addressed a national security law forum on Saturday as part of his third inspection visit to the city to assess its progress on multiple fronts. Xia Baolong's attendance at the forum, held to mark the fifth anniversary of the Beijing-imposed legislation, was a focus of the official's five-day visit. The Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office (HKMAO) director used the event to share his latest assessment of national security threats in the city, and issue directions for the city's development. More from our coverage: Reporting by Jeffie Lam, Jess Ma and Willa Wu.
South China Morning Post
20 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong still faces ‘severe' security threats but must seize the day: Xia Baolong
Hong Kong still faces 'complex and severe' external and internal national security threats that it should be vigilant about, while leveraging its unique strengths to boost connectivity with the world and integrate with the country, a senior Beijing official has said. Setting out a review of the city's recent chaotic past, Xia Baolong, director of the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office, on Saturday laid down directions for Hong Kong which he said had entered a new 'chapter' of development after the implementation of the national security law five years ago. The local government should improve its governance, react to trends in a timely manner and solve deep-seated conflicts in society, while the city should also remain vigilant over persistent national security threats, he stressed. 'One should not assume that all is well in Hong Kong. We should never forget about the pain when the wounds are healed,' Xia said, warning that there were still people who were determined to smear the legislation or threaten authorities with new forms of 'soft resistance'. 'The situation facing Hong Kong in maintaining national security remains complex and severe,' Xia added. '[The city] should maintain and consolidate its hard-earned stability through firmly grasping the practical requirements of maintaining national security under the 'one country, two systems' principle.'
