Xia Baolong, head of the Hong Kong and Macao Work Office of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council, attended and delivered a speech at a forum marking the fifth anniversary of the promulgation and implementation of the Hong Kong national security law at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre on Saturday, according to the work office's official WeChat account.

Xia stated that on June 30, 2020, President Xi Jinping signed a presidential order to promulgate the law. Since then, the era of Hong Kong being "undefended" in terms of national security has come to an end, ushering in a new chapter in the practice of "One Country, Two Systems."

Over the past five years, Xia said, the law has proven to be a "guardian" of "One Country, Two Systems" and a safeguard for Hong Kong's prosperity and stability - a good law with profound historical and practical significance. The original intention behind enacting the law was to safeguard national security and uphold "One Country, Two Systems," serving the interests of Hong Kong and its people. The law's enactment marked a turning for Hong Kong, restoring order, with the phrase "one law stabilizes Hong Kong" reflecting its sweeping and transformative impact.

Xia emphasized that it is evident Hong Kong has bid farewell to turbulence and returned to stability and order. The executive-led governance system is functioning smoothly with renewed momentum. The SAR has made historic progress by completing legislation on Article 23 of the Basic Law, continuously improving the legal system for safeguarding national security. Patriotic forces who love both the country and Hong Kong are now rightfully emboldened, positive social values are being fully demonstrated, and Hong Kong's business environment is improving, attracting investors from around the world, the senior official said.

Xia stated that the law has upheld and improved the institutional framework of "One Country, Two Systems," effectively implementing the Central Government's overall jurisdiction and the high degree of autonomy of the SAR. It has powerfully safeguarded the constitutional order of the HKSAR as established by the Constitution and the Basic Law, representing a significant milestone in the SAR's governance.

This law spans both common law and civil law systems, and incorporates elements of substantive law, procedural law, and organizational law. It respects Hong Kong's common law tradition while providing valuable references for mutual learning and joint development among different legal systems. It has set a new model for national security globally, gaining wide recognition both within Hong Kong and internationally, Xia added.

The Hong Kong national security law is a good law that safeguards national sovereignty, security, and development interests, ensuring Hong Kong's long-term prosperity, and protecting the well-being of Hong Kong residents and the interests of foreign investors, he said.

Xia emphasized that the situation facing Hong Kong in maintaining national security remains complex and severe. It is essential to firmly grasp the practical requirements of safeguarding national security under "One Country, Two Systems" and to preserve and strengthen the hard-won favorable conditions in Hong Kong. It is imperative to fully and accurately implement the "One Country, Two Systems" policy with unwavering determination, guided by a holistic approach to national security, in order to provide strong security guarantees for Hong Kong's better development, he noted. 

Safeguarding national security must be embedded throughout the entire process of implementing "One Country, Two Systems." It is essential to ensure that the governance of the Special Administrative Region is firmly in the hands of patriots. We must steadfastly uphold both security and development, effectively safeguard the human rights and freedoms of Hong Kong residents, and maintain Hong Kong's unique status and advantages, Xia said. 

Xia outlined four strategic directions to ensure Hong Kong's high-quality development under the framework of "One Country, Two Systems." He called for enhancing security to support development by adopting a holistic national security approach, paying close attention to both traditional and non-traditional risks such as trade suppression, financial instability, disinformation, and protection of overseas interests. 

Xia also stressed on leveraging Hong Kong's unique role in internal and external connectivity and utilizing openness to promote high-quality development. With strong central government support, Hong Kong should deepen its integration into national strategies, strengthen its role as a global hub for trade and talent, and maintain an open, business-friendly environment to attract international investment.

Utilizing Hong Kong's strength in the rule of law to safeguard high-quality development is also emphasized by Xia, who urged to build on Hong Kong's world-renowned legal system by enhancing legal education on national security and reforming judicial institutions to support its status as an international center for finance, shipping, and trade.

Xia further called for upholding Hong Kong's executive-led system to improve governance and advance reform-driven development. The SAR government must play a leading role in governance by embracing innovation, strengthening administrative efficiency, and tackling deep-rooted social and economic issues. Society should unite in supporting reform and development to realize economic transformation and sustainable growth.

Xia concluded by saying that the enactment and implementation of the Hong Kong National Security Law is a major event in the practice of "One Country, Two Systems" and has already made its mark in history. Looking to the future, this law—embodying the collective will of the entire Chinese people, including compatriots in Hong Kong—will surely safeguard the steady and far-reaching journey of "One Country, Two Systems," enabling Hong Kong to achieve new and greater accomplishments in the grand endeavor of building a strong nation and realizing national rejuvenation.

The Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy's Nansha Garrison recently deployed two dedicated replenishment ships to collaborate with helicopters in recent multi-course training sessions in the South China Sea, aiming to boost the troops' comprehensive combat capabilities. An expert on Monday highlighted the vessels' importance in safeguarding Chinese islands and reefs.

The Luguhu and the Fuxianhu, both affiliated with a detachment under the Nansha Garrison, recently formed a vessel formation and conducted round-the-clock multi-course training exercises at an undisclosed region in the South China Sea, according to a WeChat release from the PLA South Sea Fleet on Monday.

Focusing on fields such as formation navigation, joint maritime search and rescue, as well as shipborne helicopter takeoff and landing at nighttime, the training sessions were designed to be strict, challenging and combat-oriented, the PLA South Sea Fleet said, noting that that the training honed the troops' comprehensive combat capabilities in realistic scenarios and concrete practices.

Photos released by the PLA South Sea Fleet show that during one of the training sessions, the Luguhu released fast boats carrying troops armed with Type 95 assault rifles. In an apparent search and rescue training session, a small boat released by the Fuxianhu moved forward to a position close to an airborne Z-9 multirole helicopter. Another training session saw a Z-8 transport helicopter landing on one of the ships at nighttime under dim light.

According to official media reports, the Luguhu and the Fuxianhu are comprehensive replenishment ships built specifically for the Nansha Garrison to complete tasks such as troop rotation and goods supply.

Zhang Junshe, a Chinese military affairs expert, told the Global Times on Monday that these ships can release small boats to transport troops and supplies to islands and reefs of Nansha Qundao. He noted that waters could be too shallow for large vessels to approach some islands and reefs, so the Luguhu and the Fuxianhu are designed to carry small boats. Another dedicated design is the helicopter deck that enables vertical transport. Supplies can also be delivered to other vessels that operate around Nansha Qundao.

These dedicated replenishment vessels play significant roles in the safeguarding of Chinese islands and reefs in the South China Sea, as they can provide sufficient goods that the garrison troops need in a single replenishment mission, Zhang said.

The recent training can boost the ships' capabilities in carrying out their missions, Zhang said, highlighting that the search and rescue part of the training could be helpful not only in wartime, but also in peacetime.

China on Thursday enforced new rules that require those handling the personal information of more than 10 million people to conduct regular compliance audits, as part of a broader effort to tighten data privacy and security.

Under the regulations issued by the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC), such entities must complete audits at least once every two years to examine how they collect, store and use personal information.

The rules also grant regulators the authority to mandate professional audits for entities deemed to pose significant data risks.

The regulations bar an auditor from reviewing the same company more than three consecutive times, a move experts said is aimed at curbing audit manipulation.

A CAC source said the regulations were introduced in response to growing tensions between the widespread collection of personal data and the public's increasing demand for privacy protection.

The new rules represent the implementation of the compliance audit system outlined in China's Personal Information Protection Law.

Data audits are no longer a formality; they've become a genuine "health check" for companies handling data, according to experts from the China University of Political Science and Law.

The new rules, released in February, include a detailed audit guide outlining key areas for company review. These include obtaining user consent, encrypting sensitive data, and managing third-party data transfers.

Authorities have launched a joint crackdown on data abuse in high-use consumer tech sectors, including mobile applications, smart devices, and facial recognition systems.

Experts believe 2025 could mark a turning point for China's data governance. As audits become routine and legal precedents take shape, companies are expected to shift from basic compliance toward leveraging data protection as a competitive edge.

In the evolving internet industry landscape, companies that turn strong privacy safeguards into brand value are likely to outpace those that don't, according to an analyst.

The US, Japan and Philippines will hold their first-ever joint maritime exercise near Japanese waters in June, Japanese media outlet Asahi Shimbun reported Tuesday, citing the US Coast Guard Pacific Area Commander, who claimed the need to "counter China's actions" around Okinawa, the Diaoyu Islands and the East and South China seas. 

A Chinese analyst said that such coast guard exercises are merely another chapter in Washington's playbook for bloc confrontation, and would only have negligible impact on China's normal and lawful activities in the relevant waters. 

Claiming the need to counter the so-called "China's repeated coercive actions" around the Diaoyu Islands, and the East and South China seas, Vice Admiral Andrew J. Tiongson, US Coast Guard Pacific Area Commander, told the Asahi Shimbun that, "We aim to establish a unified coast guard front against unlawful activities."

According to the report, the drill will involve the Japan Coast Guard (JCG), the US Coast Guard, and the Philippine Coast Guard off the coast of Kagoshima. "We will deploy our vessels and conduct search-and-rescue training," he explained. Later in the summer, a multinational exercise is planned near Hawaii, involving not only the US and Japan but also South Korea and Canada. The move aims to strengthen multinational coordination among civilian maritime agencies—such as Japan's JCG—to prevent military conflicts, given their "non-military status," Asahi Shimbun reported in another article published on Friday.

Da Zhigang, director of the Institute of Northeast Asian Studies at the Heilongjiang Provincial Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Tuesday that the trilateral exercises deliberately involve coast guards, rather than naval forces, reflecting a "gray zone" strategy -- to avoid overt military escalation that could provoke China.

"Such rhetoric which emphasized the non-military exercise is merely a diplomatic ploy to downplay the possibility of conflict and distance the activities from overt military posturing…," Da said.

In response to hypes by Asahi Shimbun of China Coast Guard activities in waters near Diaoyu Islands, East and South China seas, the expert pointed out that holding the drills near Japanese waters for the first time could send symbolic messages -- To Japan, it attempts to bolster defense preparedness near the East China Sea; to the Philippines, it could reinforce US-Japan support for Manila in South China Sea disputes.

The trilateral coast guard drills exposed that the US is attempting to expand to "multi-domain containment," using lower-sensitivity cooperation to sustain regional influence, Da said, noting such exclusive and confrontational cooperation would only undermine regional stability.

However, the expert dismissed such attempts to forge exclusive blocs as utterly futile, stressing that these exercises would have negligible impact on China's normal and lawful activities in the relevant waters.