Hong Kong Nat. security chief tells new police recruits to root out threats early

Hong Kong’s National security police chief Andrew Kan told Police College graduates that “national security challenges have become more invisible,” cautioning them to stay on guard against “external forces,” “soft resistance,” and “ideological infiltration.”

The term “soft resistance” was first mentioned in 2021 in a speech by Luo Huining, then-director of Beijing’s liaison office in Hong Kong. Since then, Hong Kong officials have cited “soft resistance” as a threat to national security, although they have not provided a clear definition of the term.

Speaking to the press after the ceremony of a passing-out parade for 17 probationary officers and 110 recruit constables at the Police College on Saturday, Commissioner of Police Joe Chow also warned of hidden risks despite the calm environment. The police chief said “a small number of people are still eager to incite others’ hatred,” citing the arrests of three people who chanted slogans outside Prince Edward MTR station on August 31.

The sentencing of the Tiananmen activists has drawn criticism from overseas human rights groups, who have expressed concerns about what they call a setback to the city’s freedom of expression, even when The government hit back on Saturday, calling the comments “attacks, smears and slanders.”

Elaine Pearson, the Asia director of NGO Human Rights Watch, said the three were punished for “ordinary democratic activities,” while Amnesty International said the sentencing “denies generations of Hongkongers the space to discuss one of the most consequential events in modern Chinese history.”