Article 23 unlikely to come soon: Beijing adviser

Lau Siu-kai says he doesn't think the Hong Kong government has the strength or time to pass national security legislation in one or two years. File photo: RTHK

A prominent Beijing adviser on Monday played down calls for immediate action to pass Article 23, saying the current Hong Kong government does not have the strength or the time to pass the national security legislation now.



Lau Siu-kai, a vice-president of the Chinese Association of Hong Kong and Macau Studies, said he is not confident that the Hong Kong authorities could complete the legislative work within one or two years.



Lau said even passing the legislation would not be possible at the moment, and instead the authorities need to resort to all the legal means they already have to tackle the city's unrest, including declaring a state of emergency if necessary.



President Xi Jinping said a few days ago that after the return of Hong Kong and Macau, the affairs of the two special zones are completely China's internal matters.



Speaking on RTHK's "Millennium" programme, Lau said Xi's statement was aimed at the United States and Western countries.



They are continuously interfering with China's internal affairs and Xi wanted to signal that the Chinese government has a strong determination and sufficient capacity to withstand such external interference, said Lau.



He said it was also a warning to the opposition camp in Hong Kong not to collude with external forces, otherwise the central government will take tough action.



Lau also said that because the turmoil has not ended, he believes a reshuffle in the Hong Kong administration is unlikely.