Hong Kong’s judicial system should reflect the will and interests of the Chinese nation, a senior official overseeing the national security law has said.

The comments have been interpreted as a clear instruction from Beijing that Hong Kong’s once-vaunted court system is now expected to operate in the interests of the central government in Beijing, rather than the rule of law.

In an interview with a pro-Beijing title, Zheng Yanxiong, the director of the Office for Safeguarding National Security, said the rule of law was an “important tool” in Hong Kong, and a “source of [its] charm”, but that the independent power of the judiciary was authorized by the National People’s Congress.