Pedestrians use a crossing in Central, Hong Kong, on Feb 28, 2023. (ANDY CHONG / CHINA DAILY)

HONG KONG — The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government is conducting a public consultation on the legislation of Article 23 of the Basic Law of the HKSAR during which Yusuf Ikbal Oldac, an assistant professor at Hong Kong Lingnan University, has paid close attention to the legislative matters and studied the HKSAR Basic Law.

After having an in-depth understanding, the young scholar who has been working and living in Hong Kong for almost three years believes that the HKSAR government has the responsibility to formulate and implement laws on national security, and that the relevant legislative work and the subsequent implementation of laws are very important.

Following its transition from chaos to order, Hong Kong has been advancing from stability to higher prosperity in recent years. Many foreigners in Hong Kong have been happy to see this and share the development opportunities

He said that every country and region has its bottom line on national security that cannot be crossed and the legislation of Article 23 plays an important role in safeguarding the security and stability of Hong Kong.

READ MORE: Leung: HK's proposed Article 23 legislation fairer, less restrictive

During the month-long consultation which commenced on Jan 30, the HKSAR government has held a number of consultation meetings, introducing the contents of related documents to the attendees including hundreds of foreign diplomatic envoys and consuls in Hong Kong, and representatives of foreign chambers of commerce, and listening to their suggestions.

Many foreigners in Hong Kong have a positive attitude towards the future of the global financial hub after completion of the legislation. They said that the legislation is necessary, which will provide a safer and more stable social environment for Hong Kong.

Jim Thompson, chairman and founder of logistics company Crown Worldwide Group, has been in Hong Kong for more than 50 years. He said that it is the constitutional responsibility of the HKSAR to complete the legislation of Article 23, which is stipulated in the HKSAR Basic Law. The legislation is natural and worthy of attention and should be done as soon as possible.

"Most of us in business love to work in a stable environment," Thompson said, adding that the legislation will help prevent attempts to undermine Hong Kong and will certainly have a positive impact.

He said that Hong Kong has returned to the right track of development, and he believes that the legislation will allow Hong Kong to continue staying on the right path.

Basil Hwang, vice-chairman of the Singapore Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong, said that the legislation of Article 23 is not only in line with the requirements of the HKSAR Basic Law, but also necessary in coping with the development and changes of today's global situation.

He said that facing a series of global security threats, it is necessary for Hong Kong to update and develop national security-related laws. Completing the legislation of Article 23 will better safeguard Hong Kong's high degree of autonomy and special status under the principle of "one country, two systems", and this is more conducive to Hong Kong's development.

Following its transition from chaos to order, Hong Kong has been advancing from stability to higher prosperity in recent years. Many foreigners in Hong Kong have been happy to see this and share the development opportunities.

Angelo Giuliano, a Swiss financial consultant based in Hong Kong, said that since the implementation of the national security law in Hong Kong, Hong Kong's political environment has become more and more stable and its business environment has become better and better. Therefore, he is happy to see the legislative work of Article 23 being carried out in an orderly manner.

Cross said he believes that everyone who loves Hong Kong does not want to see its peace and stability threatened again, and will welcome an early fix of the shortcomings in the existing legal system

He said that formulating and implementing laws related to national security is an inevitable requirement for safeguarding national sovereignty and security. Every country and region has similar laws in different forms, and they are updated and amended in a timely manner.

As an expatriate in Hong Kong, he said that his background gives him a better position to show the real situation to the world.

"Now, everything is much more peaceful, much more civilized," he said, adding that the legislation of Article 23 will be more effective in cracking down on the very small number of malicious and destructive forces in the society, while law-abiding people will not be affected at all, and the vast majority of people need not worry.

Analyzing from the legal perspective, Ian Grenville Cross, a senior counsel in Hong Kong, who is a British, said that on the basis of the national security law in Hong Kong, the legislation of Article 23 will complement the shortcomings of Hong Kong's existing local laws in protecting national security, and will more comprehensively and effectively prevent, stop and punish acts that undermine national security.

Cross believes that every fair-minded person in the world can realize that "the completion of Article 23 process will be good for Hong Kong's reputation as a secure environment where it is good to do business."

READ MORE: Western laws provide a template for Hong Kong’s Article 23 legislation

He said that the HKSAR government has done a lot of work in the process of pushing forward the legislation, including studying the current state of national security regulation in other common law jurisdictions, and this will further win hearts and minds for Hong Kong globally.

Richard Cullen, an adjunct professor in the Faculty of Law at the University of Hong Kong who is from Australia, said that in recent years, the implementation of the national security law in Hong Kong has restored stability to Hong Kong. The legislation of Article 23 will further improve Hong Kong's security system.

Looking ahead, the foreign dignitaries interviewed showed full confidence in Hong Kong's prospects after completing the legislation of Article 23. Cross said he believes that everyone who loves Hong Kong does not want to see its peace and stability threatened again, and will welcome an early fix of the shortcomings in the existing legal system.