Policy Address 2026: Hong Kong to expand gov’t-funded national security exhibition

Hong Kong's leader, John Lee, announced plans to expand the city's National Security Exhibition Gallery during his annual Policy Address speech. The gallery, located within the Hong Kong Museum of History, currently houses over 1,100 square meters of content covering China's national development and the 2019 protests. Since its opening in mid-2024, over 1.9 million visitors have been drawn to the exhibition.

Lee emphasized the need for a "bottom-line mindset" in protecting national security against "hidden threats" and insisted that high-quality development must be safeguarded by high-level security. The government will work on enriching the exhibition's content and raise awareness of national security among civil servants, schools, communities, and enterprises.

The National Security Exhibition Gallery comes into play following Beijing's insertion of national security legislation into Hong Kong's mini-constitution in June 2020, which has led to increased police powers and the arrest of hundreds of individuals amid broader legal precedents.