Draft National Security Law For HK Put Before NPCSC

The National People's Congress Standing Committee (NPCSC) will review the draft Hong Kong national security legislation during its meeting in Beijing over the next few days, Xinhua News Agency said on Thursday.

The legislation was not originally on the agenda for the session, but mainland media had said earlier that the process to enact the law would be sped-up.

Xinhua said the bill for the legislation, to cover separatism, subversion, terrorism and collusion with foreign forces, also specifies the punishments for such crimes.

The wording of the fourth offence appeared to have changed, as previously it was believed the law would outlaw the "intervention of foreign forces" in Hong Kong affairs.

The NPCSC meeting is to continue until Saturday.

The legislation will eventually be inserted into Annex III of the Basic Law, and will then be promulgated rather than going through the Legislative Council.