Hong Kong's Legislative Council passed the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance, expanding the city's security regime far beyond the 2020 national-security law and unsettling parts of the international business community.
The legislation, fast-tracked under Article 23 of the Basic Law, criminalises offences including treason, insurrection, sabotage, and external interference, with penalties of up to life imprisonment for the most serious crimes.
Western chambers of commerce welcomed assurances from Chief Executive John Lee on the city's openness, while warning that broad definitions and extra-territorial reach could complicate compliance for multinationals operating between Hong Kong and the mainland.
Officials in Beijing and Hong Kong have argued that the law plugs gaps left by the 2020 framework and brings the city in line with security legislation in other jurisdictions, including the United States and the United Kingdom.