(To watch the full media session with sign language interpretation, click here.)

Chief Executive John Lee today said that the Government introducing subsidiary legislation for safeguarding national security is purely to make the law even clearer in the classification mechanism for offences that relate to endangering national security.

Speaking ahead of this morning's Executive Council meeting, Mr Lee explained the introduction of the subsidiary legislation.

He said: “The Safeguarding National Security Ordinance, Section 7 makes mention of the offence of endangering national security, and includes other offences endangering national security under the law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.”

Mr Lee highlighted that the purpose of introducing the subsidiary legislation is to make it clear how offences endangering national security under the laws of Hong Kong will be so classified.

“It is not intended, and will not expand the definition of the offences. It is not adding any new offences, any new power or punishment, and it also does not expand the scope of application of the law.

“Having a clearer mechanism of classifying offences endangering national security will have the benefit of reducing the risk of controversies or debates in court about what constitutes an offence endangering national security,” he added.