Hong Kong government defends changes to national security law after US alert

Beijing has summoned the United States’ top envoy in Hong Kong to protest against the consulate’s move to issue an alert to American citizens about legal changes in the city that punish those who withhold smartphone passwords from police during national security investigations.The foreign ministry’s office in Hong Kong revealed on Saturday that its commissioner, Cui Jianchun, had summoned and lodged “solemn representations” with US Consul General Julie Eadeh the day before in response to the “so-called ‘security alert’” issued by her office about recent amendments to the National Security Law.“Commissioner Cui expressed strong dissatisfaction and firm opposition, urging the US side to immediately cease interfering in Hong Kong affairs and China’s internal affairs in any form,” the statement read.A US Consulate spokesman said on Sunday: “We do not discuss the details of diplomatic engagements.”The Hong Kong Government on Friday also expressed “strong dissatisfaction with misleading information and sweepingly generalised descriptions” by foreign organisations and media regarding the amendments to the Beijing-imposed National Security Law earlier this week, as it made “solemn clarifications to set the record straight”.The strongly worded response came after the US consulate in Hong Kong issued a security alert reminding Americans that it was now a criminal offence for anyone to refuse to give local police the passwords or decryption access for all their personal electronic devices including mobile phones and laptops.