On 7 August 2026, the day before the Hong Kong Journalists Association (HKJA) Executive Committee election, Secretary for Security Chris Tang launched a severe verbal attack against the union. Tang accused unnamed groups of “abusing the name of trade unions” and issued a direct warning: “If you endanger national security, we will definitely nail you down” (如危害國安一定會釘死你). He further criticised the HKJA for declining to make its candidate list public prior to the vote, calling it a “black-box” operation.
In response, HKJA chairperson Selina Cheng clarified that the decision to conceal the candidate list from the public before the meeting was made strictly to protect candidates from intense intimidation and harassment campaigns. She confirmed that the full executive list is legally submitted to the Registry of Trade Unions annually following the election. Despite the threats, the HKJA held its election on the morning of 8 August 2026 in a closed-door meeting attended by approximately 30 members. Five executive committee members were elected. During the meeting, suspected plainclothes police were observed monitoring the venue from vehicles outside. When questioned by the press about whether law enforcement possessed concrete evidence of national security crimes against the HKJA, Tang stated that his warning was targeted at “everyone,” reiterating that police would “use all methods to find evidence” and pursue arrests and prosecutions.