The Law of the People's Republic of China on Safeguarding National Security in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region was passed unanimously at the 20th session of the Standing Committee of the 13th National People's Congress, China's top legislature, on June 30. This prompted some Western countries to allege the promulgation of the national security law in the SAR "lies in direct conflict with its international obligations under the principles of the legally-binding, UN-registered Sino-British Joint Declaration".