Legislative Council (LegCo) building of China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. (Xinhua)

It is "only right and proper" to demand that those who govern Hong Kong must be patriots, Deputy Director of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office (HKMAO) Zhang Xiaoming said in a speech delivered at a forum, while defending the national security law for Hong Kong and the recent decision to disqualify a number of unpatriotic Hong Kong lawmakers. 

The promulgation of the national security law for Hong Kong marked the beginning of a new phase in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region's (HKSAR) transition from chaos to governance, Zhang said on Tuesday at the law summit to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the promulgation of the Basic Law of Hong Kong.

Zhang noted that the central government and the HKSAR government have taken a number of important measures recently, including disqualifying four opposition members from the Hong Kong Legislative Council (LegCo). 

Zhang stressed that the "one country, two systems" policy is the key to the HKSAR's development in the future. 

"We must see that safeguarding national sovereignty, security and development interests is the primary concern of the 'one country, two systems,'" Zhang said. "We should respect the high degree of autonomy of the HKSAR, as well as the full administration of the central government, which is the origin and guarantee of the HKSAR's autonomy."

Zhang dismissed certain criticisms of the "one country, two systems" policy, which have been circulating around Hong Kong society for a while. 

"Some say that decisions from the central government are an interference with Hong Kong's high degree of autonomy, that the Constitution is not applicable in Hong Kong, and that there is no true universal suffrage as long as there is screening," Zhang said, "These statements are all manifestations of a lack of comprehensive and accurate understanding of the 'one country, two systems' policy, and some are even deliberately confusing and misleading the public."

Zhang noted that he was delighted to see that the relevant departments of the SAR government are working to improve the oath-taking system for civil servants, the national education system, the vetting system for LegCo members, and other related systems, which is an important step to making Hong Kong more connected to the motherland. 

The Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC) recently made a decision on the eligibility of members of the HK LegCo. It not only provides a solid legal basis for the SAR government to disqualify the four opposition members, but also establishes rules and regulations for dealing with such issues in the future, Zhang noted. 

On November 11, four opposition lawmakers - Alvin Yeung Ngok-kiu, Kwok Ka-ki, Dennis Kwok Wing-hang and Kenneth Leung Kai-cheong - who have notorious records for creating trouble and are deemed unfit to fulfill their LegCo duties, were disqualified from the legislature with immediate effect, shortly after China's top legislature the NPC adopted a decision on the qualifications of members of HK LegCo. 

"It is a political rule that those who love the country and love Hong Kong should rule Hong Kong, and those who oppose China and stir up trouble in Hong Kong should be out of office, and this has now become a legal norm," Zhang added. 

Chief Executive of the HKSAR Carrie Lam also expressed support for the decision, quoting former Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping as saying in 1984 that Hong Kong must be governed by Hong Kong patriots who respect their own nation, support the motherland sincerely, and do not compromise the prosperity and stability of Hong Kong. 

Global Times