Hong Kong Restaurants to Have National Security Clauses Added to Licenses; Full Implementation Expected by September

In 2025, Hong Kong's Food and Environmental Hygiene Department will add national security clauses to new and renewed catering licenses. License holders, their directors, and employees, referred to as 'associated persons,' must not commit 'offensive acts,' or their licenses may be revoked. 'Offensive acts' include those related to the license that constitute or lead to any offense endangering national security. At the time, officials stated that 'offensive acts' would only pertain to behaviors and activities related to the license, and license holders need not worry about the private actions of their employees affecting their licenses. According to reports from Hong Kong media today, Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Algernon Yau, stated in an interview with local media that no catering businesses have been found to be in violation so far, and action will be taken if any are found. He expects that as catering licenses are continuously renewed, all licenses will have national security clauses added by September this year. Yau mentioned that the catering industry is an important place for citizens' daily lives and plays a role in maintaining social order and national security. The government will continue to implement national security requirements through measures such as license management. In 2019, Hong Kong experienced the 'Anti-Extradition Bill Movement,' where some catering businesses displayed slogans or images supporting the movement, leading to them being known as 'yellow shops.' After the implementation of the National Security Law in mid-2020, such restaurants gradually decreased. (Editors: Chen Kaiyu / Qiu Guoqiang) 1150407