Laws To Be Amended To Combat Spying: Chris Tang

Security Secretary Chris Tang on Wednesday said the Official Secrets Ordinance will be amended to better tackle espionage in Hong Kong.

Speaking at a Legislative Council meeting, he said certain countries have been attempting to engage in activities to endanger national security in the territory, with the social unrest in 2019 being a "vivid example."

The security minister told lawmakers that the administration currently relies on the national security law and the Official Secrets Ordinance to tackle espionage, adding that the latter is too limited in scope and needs to be revised.

"In the existing Official Secrets Ordinance, the definition of espionage work is rather limited. It covers the approach of prohibited places and the making of information useful to the enemy," Tang said.

"We feel that these definitions are not enough for us to combat all manners of espionage activities and risks arising from these."

He said the legislation will be amended at the same time as officials draft more laws against acts that endanger national security under Article 23 of the Basic Law.

Tang said officials plan to submit the proposals to Legco for scrutiny in the second half of the year.