China vows to pass security legislation on HK

China's top legislator on Monday vowed to pass new national security legislation on semi-autonomous Hong Kong.

In a report delivered at the third session of the ongoing National People's Congress, Li Zhanshu, the Chairman of the NPC Standing Committee, said the committee sought to "safeguard constitutional order" in Hong Kong and Macau and "refine the system for interpreting the basic law".

The proposed legislation sparked large demonstrations in Hong Kong over the weekend.

Pro-democracy supporters have sharply criticized the Chinese proposal, which would ban the secessionist and subversive activity, as well as foreign interference, in the semi-autonomous Chinese territory.

The pro-democracy camp says the proposal goes against the “one country, two systems” framework that promises Hong Kong freedoms not found in mainland China.

(Representative Image)