Hong Kong leaders back security bill

Angelo Giuliano, a Swiss financial consultant who has been living in Hong Kong for three years, thinks the legislation can plug the city's legal loopholes-which should have been addressed many years ago-to protect Hong Kong from external interference.

In an interview with China Daily, Giuliano said the legislation is "a must" to make Hong Kong safer and more stable by ending nearly a year of violence and chaos.

Noting social stability is of great importance to economic growth, Giuliano said many foreign companies in Hong Kong might start leaving the city if the unrest continues.

In a seminar themed "National security and Hong Kong's prosperity" in Hong Kong on Friday, Song Sio-chong, professor at the Research Center of Hong Kong and Macao Basic Law at Shenzhen University in Guangdong province, said that national security in all countries across the world is within the authority of the state, along with assistance from local governments.

Any remarks that don't recognize HKSAR's duty to safeguard national security, or deny the central government's role in it, are incorrect, Song said.