UPDATE - Hong Kong Chief Says Restoration Of Constitutional Order Among Key Priorities

BEIJING (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 25th November, 2020) The government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) considers restoration of the constitutional order and delivering the city's political system from chaos as its main priorities, Chief Executive Carrie Lam said on Wednesday during the annual policy message to the Legislative Council.

The speech was originally scheduled for October 14, but Lam postponed it to have a discussion with Beijing regarding measures to restore the city's economy.

"One of our urgent priorities is to restore HKSAR's constitutional order and political system from chaos," Lam told the lawmakers.

She emphasized that for the last year Hong Kong had been facing its most serious political challenges since its return under China's jurisdiction in 1997.

"Hong Kong has become an obvious gaping hole in national security and presented significant risks to the country," she said.

The chief executive went on to chide those undermining the rule of the Chinese central government as well as local authorities.

"These opposition forces and organisations blatantly challenged the authority of the Central Government and the HKSAR Government, pleaded for interference in Hong Kong's affairs by external forces and even begged for sanctions against Hong Kong," she stated.

Lam was referring to the ongoing protest movement that was sparked in 2019 by a proposed bill that would allow people to be extradited from the administrative region to mainland China and persisted even after the controversial bill was revoked. The city's political tensions have prompted China to enact in 2020 a new national security law in Hong Kong, banning separatist and terrorist activities, along with any form of foreign interference in the city's affairs.