China’s National People’s Congress (NPC) on Thursday adopted a decision to establish and improve legislation on and enforcement of Hong Kong’s national security.

This decision imposes a duty upon the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) to safeguard national security. HKSAR was previously required to complete national security legislation under the Basic Law of the HKSAR. However, the decision adopted on Thursday requires the HKSAR to complete the legislation sooner, as well as to prevent and punish acts threatening national security.

The HKSAR is required to establish and improve the institutions safeguarding national security, and activities that endanger national security are forbidden. The HKSAR chief executive must now regularly report the HKSAR’s performance to the Central People’s Government. The NPC Standing Committee will be responsible for creating laws to establish and improve the HKSAR’s legal system and enforcement mechanisms.

NPC “resolutely opposes” any interference in HKSAR affairs by foreign or external forces. This decision follows decades of social unrest and street violence, as well as concerns over “increasingly notable national security risks” in Hong Kong.