Hong Kong Museum of History unveils new exhibition on national security

Hong Kong has unveiled a new exhibition on national security, with the city's leader John Lee citing a recent key political meeting, the Third Plenum, and calling for vigilance against security risks.

The exhibition, which occupies more than 1,100 square metres of the Tsim Sha Tsui History Museum, will open to the public on Wednesday. It includes installations devoted to Chinese leader Xi Jinping's governance ideas and a sample of lunar soil collected during a China National Space Administration mission.

Lee proposed the idea of ​​launching a national security exhibition during his second policy speech last October, saying it would promote residents' sense of safeguarding national security and enhance patriotism.

Addressing attendees at the exhibition launch Tuesday morning in Mandarin, Lee described safeguarding national security as a “permanent” obligation. We must strengthen our vigilance in the face of rapidly changing international situations, constant geographical conflicts and collective suppression by foreign forces, Lee said.

Lee also referred to the Third Plenum, a key political meeting held every five years at which the Chinese Communist Party sets out the country's long-term social and economic goals, which was overseen by Xi Jinping in Beijing last month.

Lee said the meeting had great significance for the country's development and stressed taking a holistic approach to national security, an idea raised by Xi in 2014 that suggested integrating national security protection across multiple areas, from economy to culture to space technology.

Speaking at the same event, the head of Beijing's liaison office in Hong Kong, Zheng Yanxiong, said the city should not neglect national security even if society appeared calm.

As people seek a comfortable and relaxed life, [we] Everyone must be reminded to remain vigilant and aware that the sharp blade of the law is always present, Zheng said in Mandarin.

Zheng also referred to the third plenum, saying many of the policy changes introduced were about Hong Kong, urging the city to leverage its advantage of being backed by the country and connected to the world.

He also praised the performance of Hong Kong athletes at the ongoing Paris Olympics, saying fencers Edgar Cheung and Vivian Kong, who both won gold, brought honour to the city and the country.

Dong Jingwei, director of the Beijing Office for Safeguarding National Security in Hong Kong, said the new exhibition would provide a permanent base for promotional and educational efforts, as well as an important platform to demonstrate China's holistic approach to national security.

Cui Jianchun, commissioner of the Chinese Foreign Ministry's office in Hong Kong, said the gallery would provide the city's young people with an important window into understanding national security.

Cui added that history had shown that remaining vigilant was the key to long-term prosperity and stability.

More than 40 exhibitions will be open to the public for free from Wednesday, featuring items related to China's modern history as well as the large-scale pro-democracy protests and unrest that rocked Hong Kong in 2019.

The protests were halted when the city was hit by the Covid-19 pandemic in early 2020, and when Beijing imposed a national security law in June, criminalizing secession, collusion with foreign forces, subversion and terrorism.

Miniature models of Chinese spaceships, tanks and fighter jets, as well as two robot dogs, were seen by an HKFP reporter at the launch on Tuesday.

Speaking to reporters after the ceremony, security chief Chris Tang said authorities expected more than 100,000 people to visit the expo each year.

Tang declined to comment on the costs associated with the case, saying security law prevents disclosure of such expenses.

He added that the authorities had arranged for groups of young people from the city's disciplinary forces to visit the gallery over the next two weeks.

The History Museum previously housed an exhibition called Hong Kong Story, consisting of eight galleries covering the city's prehistoric period until the handover in 1997. It closed in October 2020 for a two-year renovation, but has yet to reopen.

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