英语新闻丨HK rallies behind new ordinance

More Hong Kong people at home and abroad voiced their strong objection to the smears by some Western politicians on the city's national security ordinance, which will take effect on Saturday.

针对一些西方政客对将于3月23日生效的香港国家安全条例的抹黑，越来越多的海内外香港民众表示强烈反对。

Hong Kong's legislature approved the long-awaited Safeguarding National Security Ordinance on Tuesday. The ordinance, legislated under Article 23 of the Basic Law, was created to prevent and punish five types of acts endangering national security in Hong Kong, including treason, insurrection and espionage.

3月19日，香港立法机关批准了期待已久的《维护国家安全条例》。该条例是根据《基本法》第二十三条制定的，旨在防止和惩治叛国罪、暴乱罪、间谍罪等五类危害香港国家安全的行为。

Following its passage in the Legislative Council, some Western politicians and organizations have groundlessly criticized the law, saying that it may restrict Hong Kong's freedom and human rights and undermine the city's long-standing advantages. Among the detractors are United Kingdom Foreign Secretary David Cameron, former British governor of Hong Kong Chris Patten, Vedant Patel, a spokesman for the United States Department of State, and Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

该法通过后，一些西方政客和组织无端批评该法，称该法可能限制香港的自由和人权，损害香港的长期优势。其中包括英国外交大臣戴维·卡梅伦、英国前港督彭定康、美国国务院发言人韦丹特·帕特尔和日本外务省。

Representatives from the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region attended the 55th regular session of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Switzerland on Wednesday, rebutting the defamation and smearing of the ordinance.

3月20日，香港特区代表出席在瑞士举行的联合国人权理事会第55届常会，严厉斥责对该条例的诽谤和抹黑。

Horace Cheung Kwok-kwan, the SAR's deputy secretary for justice, told the UN council that the ordinance will better protect the country and the city from genuine threats to national security amid increasingly intricate geopolitics.

香港特别行政区律政司副秘书长张国钧向联合国理事会表示，在地缘政治日益复杂的情况下，该条例将保证国家安全和香港地区稳定发展。

Stressing that the ordinance will strictly adhere to the principles of international law and practices, Cheung said there are appropriate exceptions and defenses, and he reiterated that people's rights and freedoms will be fully protected in accordance with the law. Edmond Sy Hon-ming, vice-chairman of the Hong Kong CPPCC Youth Association and a legal professional, delivered a speech by video to the UN meeting.张国钧强调，条例将严格遵守国际法原则和惯例，并设有适当的例外和抗辩，坚定不移地确保人民的权利和自由将依法得到充分保障。香港政协青年会副主席、法律界人士施汉明在联合国会议上通过视频致辞。

Sy said Hong Kong people still vividly remember the unprecedented social unrest in 2019, emphasizing that a robust legal framework is necessary to safeguard national security and protect people's lives and property as well as their human rights and freedom of speech.

施汉明表示，香港人对2019年前所未有的社会动荡仍记忆犹新，必须有健全的法律框架来维护国家安全、保护人民生命财产、人权和言论自由。

Hong Kong experienced more than 150 years of colonial rule, and the residents do not want the city to be plagued by an unstable social environment again, Sy said. He added that numerous places around the world have regulations to safeguard national security, because every country has the responsibility to protect the safety and property of its residents.

施汉明说道，香港经历了150多年的殖民统治，居民不希望香港再次受到不稳定的社会环境的困扰。世界上很多地方都有维护国家安全的规定，因为每个国家都有责任保护本国居民的安全和财产。

Also addressing the council by video, Jonathan Chow Yuen-kuk, a newly elected district councilor in Hong Kong, said that since the National Security Law for Hong Kong was implemented in 2020, the city has been gradually moving toward stability. Chow said his experiences have taught him that national security is the foundation of social stability, adding that his work in the community can now focus on further improving residents' quality of life. He also invited everyone to visit Hong Kong to witness its vibrancy and safety.

新当选的香港区议员周润谷也在视频中向立法会致辞，他谈到自2020年香港国安法实施以来，香港逐步走向稳定。过去的经历让他明白国家安全是社会稳定的基础。并提出建议，现在在社区的工作可以致力于进一步改善居民的生活质量。最后还邀请大家到访香港，见证香港的活力和安全。

At home, representatives from various sectors expressed their objection to and condemnation of Western countries' smear campaign.

国内各界代表对西方国家的抹黑行为表示反对和谴责。

On Thursday afternoon, the city's biggest political party — the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong — protested with banners and placards outside the British consulate general in Hong Kong, strongly condemning UK Foreign Secretary Cameron's remarks.

3月21日下午，香港最大政党民主建港联盟在英国驻香港总领事馆外拉横幅和标语进行抗议，强烈谴责英国外交大臣卡梅伦的言论。

The DAB said the smooth passage of the ordinance fully demonstrates the Hong Kong people's support for the legislation and their consensus on the significance of national security.

民建联表示，《条例》的顺利通过，充分体现了香港民众对立法的支持以及对国家安全重要性的共识。

In a rally outside the consulate general of the United States in Hong Kong, members of the Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions, the SAR's largest labor union, expressed strong dissatisfaction with Patel's accusation that the legislation will hinder Hong Kong's openness to the international community. The FTU believes that the ordinance will create a good business environment for Hong Kong and attract investment in the city, including that of foreign-funded enterprises.

在美国驻香港总领事馆外举行的集会中，特区最大工会香港工联会成员对帕特尔指责该法案将阻碍香港向国际社会开放表示强烈不满。工联会相信该条例将为香港创造良好的营商环境，吸引投资，包括外资企业来港投资。

The Hong Kong Eastern District Community Association protested outside the consulate general of Japan in Hong Kong in response to a statement about the ordinance by Japan's Foreign Ministry, which the association said distorted the truth and called black white.

香港东区社团联会在日本驻香港总领事馆外抗议，回应日本外务省有关该法令的声明，称该声明歪曲事实、颠倒黑白。

distort the truth

扭曲事实

consulate general

总领事馆