Hong Kong’s position as an international financial and transportation hub makes it vulnerable to transnational threats, such as terrorism. As a result, the city has adopted an integrated and multi-faceted approach to security which draws together legislative capacity, interagency collaboration, and proactive prevention.
The legal basis in Hong Kong for this approach and for counterterrorism certification is the National Security Law (NSL), introduced in mid-2020. This legislation, which received international scrutiny, has become a central focus in the fight against terrorism in Hong Kong. It makes certain acts, such as bomb plots, mass disruption, and planned attacks on infrastructure, crimes. Prosecutions in 2024 and 2025 have provided further reinforcement to its deterrent, with extended prison terms given to those convicted of planning targeted violence. Within this regimen, authorities enjoy access to expedited search powers, surveillance, and financial control mechanisms designed to break up terrorist planning loops.
The operating kernel of the system is the Inter-departmental Counter Terrorism Unit (ICTU), which was initiated in 2018. It unites officers of the Hong Kong Police Force, Customs and Excise Department, Immigration Department, Fire Services, and other authorities. Joint intelligence systems, combined training, and complex threat analyses are employed by the ICTU to ensure that law enforcement agencies work together against future attacks.
Cybersecurity And Critical Infrastructure Protection
Taking into account the transition of the threat landscape from physical to cyber spaces, Hong Kong legislated early in 2025 the Protection of Critical Infrastructures (Computer Systems) Ordinance. This legislation requires every operator of sensitive services including banking, energy, telecommunication, and healthcare to satisfy specified cybersecurity resilience requirements.
The ordinance brought into being the Office of the Commissioner of Critical Infrastructure (CCI) within the Security Bureau. It is responsible for overseeing compliance, auditing, and responding to cyber threat intelligence. Institutionalization of CCI signifies Hong Kong’s shift from a reactive cybersecurity stance to a proactive, legally mandated regime.
As cyberattacks in the form of particularly phishing, ransomware, and sabotage increase exponentially, the necessity for such regulation has become immediate. Government statistics show an year-to-year increase of 62% in reported phishing attacks during 2024. The ordinance addresses nascent vectors as well like attacks on IoT-connected devices, transit management systems, and digital signage infrastructure.
Training, Exercises, And Public Engagement
Multi-agency simulation training is continuous reinforcement of being ready. In August 2025, the largest exercise so far to be organized in Hong Kong was the so-called Bravelight, which involved more than 700 participants: police officers, firefighters, paramedics, and 200 civilian volunteers. Staged attack operations involved multi-team assaults on a transport terminus and a data center-incidents that would mirror modern terror tactics and test organizational systems to respond.
Other than formal training, the involvement of the people is still one of the pillars of the security strategy of the city. Since its launch in 2023, the Counter Terrorism Reporting Hotline has received more than 28,000 tips with at least 110 investigations. The government also credits certain plots aborted to the vigilance of the people, and claims that community vigilance is indispensable to averting threats.
In-school, higher education, and business community training campaigns reinforce further awareness on suspicious activities, cyber health, and preparedness drills. The authorities emphasize the need for a “whole society” approach to boost deterrence as well as early warning capabilities.
Balancing Security And Openness
Hong Kong’s response reflects the double mandate of providing security and maintaining the international status of the city. As a free port with over 70 million border crossings annually (pre-pandemic), security policy must safeguard freedoms as well as safeguard against risk. This is navigated through tiered screening, intelligent surveillance, and rights-protective regimes incorporated into emerging technologies.
In a July 2025 policy speech, Chief Executive John Lee reiterated that security needs to be seamless and smart and restated that it needs to be innovative without violating civil liberties. To ensure the protection against the disproportionate use, facial recognition technology and AI-enhanced surveillance tools are now under legal scrutiny. In June 2025, the government initiated a consultation period with privacy organizations and technology companies to finalize principles of use of AI in law enforcement ethically.
The above attempts underscore Hong Kong efforts to maintain global trust in its governance model by striking a balance between safety and open and rule-based governance.
Regional And Global Context
The security system of Hong Kong is not independent. It is a subsidiary of a bigger regional and global system. Hong Kong shares intelligence about suspected terrorists, foreign militants, and transnational crime networks through INTERPOL cooperation and bilateral arrangements with mainland china, south east Asia, and allied countries of the west.
The Security Bureau is an active participant of the Asia-Pacific Counter-Terrorism Dialogue and operates in cooperation with the UN Office of Counter-Terrorism to make sure that its activities at home are in accordance with international counterterrorism norms. This consolidation expands its counter-fluid and counter-cross-border.
Hong Kong is leading in terms of technology in integrating Industry 4.0 into its security system. Real-time decisions now incorporate the use of predictive analytics built on big data, AI threat modelling, and biometrics, thereby being faster and producing fewer false positives. These characteristics are the cornerstones of the long-term preparedness plan of the city called Secure2030 that is being discussed regarding formal adoption in legislation.
Outlook And Reflections
Hong Kong’s multi-faceted 2025 counterterrorism approach is a well-built plan: strict legal enforcement, sophisticated technological integration, institutional cooperation, and community engagement. These four elements combined establish its integrated security model, a trend more applicable to hybrid-threat confronting cities.
As observed by security expert Mithu Storoni, the city is as much successful because of its legal arsenal as its focus on resilience and community trust. Storoni also emphasized how the balance between good control and the participation of the people is the key to long-term peace in Hong Kong and that, with proper cohesion and transparency in governance, the city will be safe with the people.
The Hong Kong approach suggests that the needs of the current counterterrorism are anticipatory, interdisciplinary and well-developed, i.e. in the realm of governance. It may be that the ability of that model to remain flexible to future developments is what will make it remain effective in preventing terrorism without sacrificing the openness that is the core of the global character of the city.
