Recently, the Hong Kong High Court delivered its verdict in the "conspiracy to subvert state power" case. Of the 16 defendants who pleaded not guilty, 14 were convicted and 2 acquitted; the Department of Justice has appealed the acquittal of 1 defendant. Together with the 31 defendants who pleaded guilty before trial, 45 of the 47 persons involved—including the "ringleader" Benny Tai—have been found guilty.

　　This case is not an ordinary legal proceeding. It is the landmark case with the largest number of defendants and the longest trial since the implementation of the Hong Kong National Security Law, the first case in Hong Kong involving the crime of subverting state power, and a major test concerning national security and the authority of the rule of law. The verdict also serves as a stern warning to anti-China, destabilizing forces in Hong Kong and to external forces in the United States and the West: anyone who dares to challenge China's bottom line on national security will be severely punished under the law.

　　Evil Intent to Harm Hong Kong Leads to Irreversible Ruin

　　In January 2021, Hong Kong police carried out arrests targeting more than 50 people suspected of organizing, planning, or participating in the so-called 2020 Legislative Council "primary elections" and carrying out activities related to subverting state power; 47 of them were prosecuted.

　　Among the 45 convicted this time, some planned and organized the "black violence," some took part in the illegal "Occupy Central," and some served as heads of organizations that destabilized Hong Kong. What these people share is that they long engaged in anti-China, destabilizing activities in Hong Kong, in a vain attempt to undermine the existing constitutional order of Hong Kong established by the Chinese Constitution and the Hong Kong Basic Law. Their evil intentions brought them together and ultimately led them down a road of no return.

　　Despicable Methods of Subverting State Power

　　A large body of conclusive evidence in this case shows that the so-called "primary elections" planned in 2020 by the anti-China, destabilizing forces led by Benny Tai were a conspiratorial operation using illegal means to seriously interfere with, obstruct, and undermine the lawful performance of functions by the organs of power of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, aimed at subverting state power.

　　The despicable method by which the anti-China, destabilizing forces sought to carry out subversion was to illegally seize a majority of seats in the Hong Kong Legislative Council and indiscriminately veto government funding, thereby creating a governance crisis in the SAR. They vainly attempted in this way to force the central government to declare a state of emergency in the SAR, bring the government and society to a standstill, and then incite street movements, "organizing in a planned way to plunge Hong Kong into an abyss; had the plan succeeded, Hong Kong society would have suffered extremely severe shocks and damage."

　　Lawful Punishment, Fairness and Justice

　　The trial of this case lasted 118 days, allowing both the prosecution and the defense to fully present evidence and arguments, balancing the safeguarding of national security with the protection of the parties' rights and freedoms. In a judgment of more than 300 pages, the court, in accordance with the Hong Kong National Security Law and relevant laws, made clear rulings on the various legal disputes involved in the case and clearly explained the reasons for its rulings.

　　Both the trial process and the verdict demonstrate the openness, transparency, fairness, and impartiality of Hong Kong's current judicial system. The court's ruling clarifies the definition and legal provisions of the crime of subverting state power, declares the SAR's zero-tolerance attitude toward acts of subverting state power, and gives the Hong Kong legal system for safeguarding national security "teeth and spikes." It has important reference value for the adjudication of similar cases in Hong Kong in the future and will have far-reaching influence.

　Internal Affairs Brooking No Interference

　　For more than three years, during the trial in the SAR court, external forces in the United States and the West have spared no effort to exonerate these 47 people, interfered with the trial, and even blatantly interfered in China's internal affairs and Hong Kong affairs through intimidating political means and misleading remarks, seriously violating international law and the basic norms of international relations. They have not only continued to smear Hong Kong's political and legal systems—by concocting Hong Kong-related reports, introducing Hong Kong-related bills, smearing Hong Kong's freedoms as regressing, and glorifying the image of those who destabilize Hong Kong—but have also constantly pressured the Hong Kong SAR government; after the verdict was announced, they even launched a new round of public-opinion and sanctions offensives against Hong Kong.

　　However, in the face of ironclad facts and evidence, any clamor or sanctions by external forces in the United States and the West will only make people of conscience see clearly their sinister schemes to "plunge Hong Kong into chaos" and "use Hong Kong to contain China," and will only make all Chinese people, including the vast number of Hong Kong compatriots, more united.

National Security, Hong Kong Security, a Promising Future

　　The law must be enforced. The Hong Kong SAR government and its law enforcement and judicial personnel have safeguarded national security and defended the precious spirit of the rule of law through practical action. Facts have proven that since the promulgation and implementation of the Hong Kong National Security Law and the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance, Hong Kong's political ecosystem has markedly improved, social order has been restored, the business environment has been continuously optimized, economic development has returned to the right track, and the spirit of the rule of law has been further demonstrated.

　　Safeguarding national sovereignty, security, and development interests is the highest principle of the "one country, two systems" policy. We firmly believe that, escorted by high-level security, the wheels of the "Hong Kong" train of the new era will roll forward irresistibly!