Hong Kong Article 23

That the Parliament condemns the reported expedited passing of Article 23 of Hong Kong’s constitution, recognised as a more comprehensive version of the 2020 Chinese national security law, by what it sees as the pro-Beijing Government of Hong Kong, which it believes will have profound implications on the freedom and autonomy of Hong Kong residents; understands that the new legislation, which it considers to be an extension of the Beijing Government's authoritarian oppression of mainland China residents, was hurriedly passed by a vote of 89-0 in Hong Kong's Legislative Council after just 30 days of public consultation; believes that the current session of the Legislative Council is the first since its establishment to include no representatives of the pan-democracy camp following the reported expulsion, arrest and exile of many pro-democracy legislators in recent years; is concerned that this law may be used to crush what it sees as the remaining elements of the 2019 pro-democracy protests, wider pro-democracy movement and independent media in Hong Kong, and urges the Hong Kong Government to reconsider the enactment of Article 23 and to engage in genuine and meaningful consultation with the people of Hong Kong with the intention of restoring the freedoms that, it believes, have been removed in recent years.