The spending represents another way in which Hong Kong has come to resemble mainland China since Beijing imposed a national security law on the city last year
Hong Kong will spend more than $1.2-billion on “safeguarding national security” in the coming years, but lawmakers and the public will have little oversight of how that money will be used, the government confirmed this week.
In February, Financial Secretary Paul Chan revealed that HK$8-billion had been appropriated for the special fund under the annual budget, noting that it was “for multiple years.” In a statement, Mr. Chan’s office said expenditures under the fund included “salaries and allowances, expenses on engaging specialized services, rents and other operating and administrative expenses,” as well as one-time construction and set-up costs for the various national security bodies.information relating to its work shall not be subject to disclosure.
Hong Kongers are left largely in the dark on how the government is spending this chunk of taxpayer money, something Eric Lai, Hong Kong law fellow at Georgetown University, said was “unusual before the imposition of the [national security law].” In the case of national security expenditures, however, the law specifically states that no local body has oversight, nor is the work of the Committee for Safeguarding National Security subject to judicial review.
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