German business leaders will respect Hong Kong’s new, local security law, but remain concerned about civil society and whether the legislation’s wording will be precise, the president of the German Chamber of Commerce has told HKFP...

Chamber president Johannes Hack told HKFP by email...that business leaders also need to interact with civil society. “There is a possibility that the introduction of Article 23 will strengthen our stakeholder’s perception that Hong Kong is aligning more closely with mainland China and this is something we would need to engage with,” Hack wrote...

Pro-democracy advocates fear it could have a negative effect on civil liberties but the authorities say there is a constitutional duty to ratify it.

In a joint statement released on Tuesday, the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce, the Chinese Manufacturers’ Association of Hong Kong, the Federation of Hong Kong Industries and the Chinese General Chamber of Commerce aired support for Article 23, saying it would provide a solid framework to protect national security and improve the overall business environment.

When asked if the German chamber supported Article 23, Hack did not answer directly. He said that foreign business would abide by the laws of the jurisdiction they were in “with strict neutrality.” He added: “[From] the ongoing discussions with our stakeholders, there is concern that specific provisions of Article 23 may be perceived as aligning Hong Kong’s own (economic, social) and (particularly) common law system more closely with mainland China at a time when we are engaged in pointing out the differences rather than the similarities.”...