This photo dated on April 14, 2022 shows a child walking past a billboard promoting National Security Education Day in the Central district of Hong Kong. (EDMOND TANG / CHINA DAILY)

The Safeguarding National Security Bill was among the 29 bills listed by the government for submission to the Legislative Council on Friday to be tabled to the LegCo within the 2024 legislative session. 

The bill, to be tabled by the Security Bureau this year, aims to “implement Article 23 of the Basic Law, enhance relevant laws for safeguarding national security, and to provide for related matters”. 

READ MORE: Article 23 legislation complements the NSL

Article 23 of the Basic Law stipulates that the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region “shall enact laws on its own to prohibit any act of treason, secession, sedition, subversion against the Central People's Government, or theft of state secrets, to prohibit foreign political organizations or bodies from conducting political activities in the Region, and to prohibit political organizations or bodies of the Region from establishing ties with foreign political organizations or bodies.”

The other 28 listed bills include the Cybersecurity (Critical Information Infrastructure) Bill, to be tabled in the second half of 2024

The city enacted the National Security Law for Hong Kong on June 30, 2020, which proscribes four types of crimes, namely, acts of secession, subversion of state power, terrorist activities, and collusion with a foreign country or with external elements to endanger national security.

The 2024 Legislative Programme outlines the key legislation that the government plans to introduce to the Legislative Council during this year's session. The bills and their timelines may be subject to alteration based on their readiness and on changing circumstances.

In addition to the Safeguarding National Security Bill, the other 28 listed bills include the Cybersecurity (Critical Information Infrastructure) Bill, to be tabled in the second half of this year. 

This bill, also under the Security Bureau's purview, seeks to establish a legal framework to impose cybersecurity obligations on operators of critical infrastructure, with a view to strengthening their resilience against cybersecurity threats. 

Earlier, Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu mentioned in his 2023 Policy Address that to address the increasing risks of cyberattacks globally, the government is working to enhance the cybersecurity of critical infrastructure, including energy, telecommunications, transportation, financial institutions, etc, and a bill will be introduced into the LegCo for this purpose in 2024.

Additionally, the Commerce and Economic Development Bureau will oversee the Inland Revenue (Amendment) (Tax Concessions for Intellectual Property Income) Bill, which aims to implement tax incentives to encourage research and development as well as intellectual property trading activities in Hong Kong.

READ MORE: Completion of Article 23 would install ‘guardrails’

The Education Bureau will be responsible for the Post Secondary Colleges (Amendment) Bill, which seeks to enhance the regulatory framework and governance of self-financing post-secondary education institutions.

Under the Environment and Ecology Bureau, the Ozone Layer Protection (Amendment) Bill, the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Amendment) Bill, and the Waste Disposal (Amendments) Bill will strengthen environmental protection and promote animal welfare.

The Health Bureau will oversee the Supplementary Medical Professions (Amendment) Bill. This bill aims to introduce legislative amendments concerning mandatory continuing professional development and the admission of qualified non-locally trained personnel in supplementary medical professions.