Aerial photo taken on March 6, 2021 shows citizens displaying China's national flag and the flag of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region in support of implementing the principle of "patriots administering Hong Kong" at Tamar Park in Hong Kong, south China.Photo:Xinhua

Wrapping up the year since the national security law for Hong Kong was implemented, a senior official said on Friday that the law has crushed "color revolution" schemes, bringing order back to the city and gives an opportunity for the city to select qualified governors — competent patriots. 

With the legal basis, the electoral reform will guarantee anti-China rioters cannot enter the governance body and competent officials will have the resolve and capability to solve problems, enabling ordinary people to live and work freely in the city, enjoy legal rights regardless of their political views, Xia Baolong, director of State Council's Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office, noted on Friday.

Hong Kong has changed from undefended to guarded (in front of foreign subversion attempts), crushed "color revolution" attempts, restored governance order, and fostered healthy social trends, fully demonstrating the great power of the law to guarantee security, stability and peace of Hong Kong, Xia made the remarks at a symposium held on Friday via video link in Beijing, Hong Kong and Macao, to wrap up the year since the law took effect and look into the future of the city.

Anti-China individuals melted away and the Western narrative attacking the law collapsed amid Hong Kong's robust economic performance.   

Local government data showed the Hong Kong economy ended six consecutive quarters of contraction in the first quarter of 2021, recording a 7.9 percent growth.

Xia also spoke highly of the HKSAR government, led by chief executive Carrie Lam, for the firm implementation of the law, praised the Hong Kong Police Force who played a key role in fighting riots, and acknowledged social forces and international voices supporting justice. 

By June, 117 individuals have been arrested for involving in national security violations and 64 have been prosecuted.  

Lam told media on Friday that the incident in 2019 taught the public a valuable lesson — it is intolerable to indulge in Hong Kong as a loophole in national security. The SAR government knew it could not turn a blind eye to the national security risks and all social groups must keep vigilant in front of those risks. 

To achieve the goal requires escort of the national security law for Hong Kong, the principle of "patriots governing Hong Kong" which depends on ruling out anti-China rioters in the governance body and selecting competent patriots. 

Chief secretary for administration Lee Ka-chiu, who was also appointed as chairman of the Candidate Eligibility Review Committee for local elections, told the Global Times that clear criteria and careful evaluation will guarantee people who disguise themselves as patriots cannot sneak into the elections. 

Lee, who just got promoted from the post of security secretary, noted preparation is done to prevent possible sabotage and intervention, and high-profile patrol and tightened security will be in place. 

Xia's address on Friday morning touched extensively on how to become competent patriots with a firm patriotic stance and can solve people's real problems. 

With the premise of keeping anti-China figures out of the governance body, people can live and work freely and enjoy full legal rights regardless of their political views, Xia stressed, noting the key roles the Election Committee and Candidate Eligibility Review Committee played in guaranteeing the premise.   

Fan Peng, a research fellow at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences' Institute of Political Sciences in Beijing, told the Global Times on Friday that the wrap-up and looking forward symposium demonstrated the central government's firm resolution in forever closing the national security loopholes in the city. With the law as a basis, safeguarding national security should become a daily routine for Hong Kong and more work in political and social areas is expected. 

Changing social ideologies and making safeguarding national security routine may take longer than ending violence and chaos. 

Xia also issued warnings to US-led Western politicians and slammed their trampling on international law, interfering in China's domestic affairs and meaningless sanctions on Chinese officials.

The remarks slapped the Biden administration's advisory on operational risks in Hong Kong to attack the national security law for the HKSAR and US Treasury Department's  sanctions of seven deputy directors of central government's liaison office in Hong Kong on Friday.

China is not afraid of evil and will not yield to coercion. We believe US injustice is seeking its own death, said the Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Hong Kong in response to the US sanctions. China will fight back firmly against unscrupulous US deeds, the office said in a statement. 

Luo Huining, director of the liaison office, responded humorously when the sanction was imposed on him in 2020, "I had no assets overseas and would be willing to send $100 to  US president for asset freezing."

Fan noted that the US has been in an embarrassing situation that its political sanctions of Chinese officials have no real influence, while an economic crackdown will only hurt its interests in the financial hub. 

"The more the US slaps sanctions, the deeper public will understand its paper-tiger nature," Fan said. 

In response to the US move, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian told a press conference on Friday that the Chinese government is resolute in objecting to US interfering in Hong Kong's affairs and it is firm in safeguarding sovereignty, security, interests of development and also determined to implement the "one country, two systems."

 Zhao said that Hong Kong is China's Hong Kong and its affairs are China's domestic affairs, which foreign forces have no right to point fingers to or interfere in. The US should abide by international laws and orders to stop interfering in China's internal affairs. China will give strong countermeasures in accordance with the US actions.