Carrie Lam photo:VCG

Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam said on Tuesday that the purpose of any democratic political system is to improve people's lives, and if democracy harms people's lives, it is putting the cart before the horse, just like some Western countries which have difficulties in responding to the epidemic. 

Lam said that there is no universal standard for democracy, and she fully supported Monday's remarks made by Xia Baolong, head of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of China's State Council. Xia said that some people in Hong Kong have for a long time blindly pursued Western democracy and stressed the principle of "patriots governing Hong Kong."

In a video speech at a ceremony unveiling a chronicle on Hong Kong's Participation in National Reform and Opening-Up, Xia said that the principle of "patriots governing Hong Kong" is the foundation of a steady and sustained implementation of "one country, two systems."

Lam said that this was the right time to reiterate the principle ahead of the Legislative Council (LegCo) election, and the new system only required candidates to be patriotic but it accommodated different political opinions. 

As for the future role of LegCo, Lam said she hopes the new LegCo members will rationally interact with the government and view the relations between Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and the central government favorably when they take office in January. 

She said the LegCo election was a major one since the electoral system was improved, with 4.5 million registered voters allowed to vote, some of them with an extra vote. So far, 18,215 voters have registered as of Monday. 

As for the progress of gradual reopening of borders between the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong, Lam said that much work needs to be done, including the health code. 

From Tuesday, relevant departments will communicate with those previously classified as priority groups, such as those whose work was closely related with Hong Kong's economy, Lam said, noting that it's expected that people with business needs will become the priority group, and the government is seeking to reserve some of the quota for application. The government also plans to give some quota to people with urgent needs but does not have business needs. 

The Hong Kong Security Bureau will assess whether more ports are needed to open under the quota system, Lam said. 

Global Times