'Remarkably effective': Carrie Lam praises Hong Kong national security law

Hong Kong’s chief executive, Carrie Lam, has defended the crackdown on opposition by her government and Beijing, and praised the widely criticised national security law – while seeking to blame the city’s woes on foreign interference and the pandemic. Lam’s annual policy address – which was postponed from October to allow for further consultation with Beijing – was delivered on Wednesday to a legislative council without its opposition members after the mass resignationof the pro-democracy caucus.

Lam said Hong Kong had experienced “multiple blows” including the mass protests, a worsening economy and unemployment because of the pandemic, and “national security threats due to foreign interference”.

“In the past year or so Hong Kong has experienced the most severe political challenges since its return to the motherland,” Lam said. She suggested the unrest was driven by “ill-intentioned people influenced by external forces”, and accused pro-independence or self-determination groups of having “blatantly challenged the authority of the central government and the HKSAR [Hong Kong Special Administrative Region] government, pleaded for interference in Hong Kong’s affairs by external forces and even begged for sanctions against Hong Kong”.

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