Necessary move to safeguard rule of law in Hong Kong

John Lee Ka-chiu, chief executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, said on Tuesday that the central government in Beijing was "highly concerned" about the possible security risks that might arise from foreign lawyers being involved in national security cases, and that he had requested a legal interpretation on the matter by the National People's Congress Standing Committee "as soon as possible".

The move comes after the special administrative region's highest court, the Court of Final Appeal, on Monday dismissed a government bid to block the United Kingdom barrister Timothy Owen from representing media tycoon Jimmy Lai Chee-ying, who faces charges under the special administrative region's National Security Law, and impose a "blanket ban" on foreign lawyers working on national security cases.

Lee said that such an interdiction is necessary as Lai is suspected of colluding with foreign forces to commit crimes against national security and a foreign lawyer might divulge State secrets that are revealed during the trial.