CPC Central Committee Hong Kong & Macao Work Office Director and State Council Hong Kong & Macao Affairs Office Director Xia Baolong, together with all leading officials of his office in Beijing, will attend the National Security Education Day opening ceremony tomorrow via video link, the Committee for Safeguarding National Security of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region announced today.

Mr Xia will officiate at the ceremony and deliver a keynote speech.

National Security Committee Chairman and Chief Executive John Lee expressed a warm welcome to Mr Xia for joining the ceremony online with all the leading officials of his office.

Mr Lee said: “The National Security Education Day of this year is particularly meaningful for Hong Kong. This year marks the 10th anniversary of a holistic approach to national security put forward by President Xi Jinping. It is also the first National Security Education Day after the Hong Kong SAR has accomplished its mission under Article 23 of the Basic Law, and the first National Security Education Day after the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance took effect.”

The Chief Executive also advised the public to remain vigilant as the prevailing geopolitics has become increasingly complex and national security risks and threats remain imminent.

The means taken to endanger national security can come in many different forms and persist, and the threat can emerge all of a sudden, he stressed.

The Safeguarding National Security Ordinance requires that the Hong Kong SAR promote national security education and raise awareness of abiding by the law through public communication, guidance, supervision and regulation.

The National Security Education Day activities can help raise the awareness and sense of responsibility for safeguarding national security among citizens, reminding them to stay alert to national security risks, Mr Lee added.