On June 12, 2025, the Office for Safeguarding National Security of the Central People’s Government of the People’s Republic of China in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (OSNS) conducted its first publicly known operation in Hong Kong, in partnership with the National Security Department (NSD) of the Hong Kong Police Force to investigate alleged collusion with foreign forces. The operation targeted six individuals and one organization allegedly involved in “collusion with a foreign country or with external elements to endanger national security” between November 2020 and June 2024. Police searched the residences of the six suspects and an organization’s office in Kwai Chung, seizing bank documents and electronic devices. The suspects were interviewed and required to surrender their travel documents under court notices. The operation was conducted under the new subsidiary legislation that mandates government departments to provide “all necessary assistance” to Beijing’s national security office. No arrests or charges were announced, and authorities did not disclose the identities of the name of the organization involved.
This operation marks a significant development in the operational role of Beijing’s national security office in Hong Kong. The use of broad investigative powers without transparency or formal charges raises concerns about due process and signals a deepening integration of mainland security practices into Hong Kong’s legal and administrative framework. While the targets have not been publicly identified as civil society actors, the opaque nature of the operation and the sweeping scope of the National Security Law suggest a growing risk of spillover into civil society spaces, particularly for organizations engaged in international advocacy or fundraising.