As China’s National People’s Congress (NPC) started to deliberate on the draft decision to improve the electoral system of the Hong Kong Special Administration Region (HKSAR) on Friday, praise for the effort from principal officials of the city surged over the weekend, calling the move vital to the long-term stability and prosperity of Hong Kong under the “one country, two systems” policy.

Photo taken on July 14, 2020 shows the Golden Bauhinia Square in south China's Hong Kong, July 14, 2020. (Photo: Xinhua)

Matthew Cheung Kin-chung, chief secretary for administration of Hong Kong, wrote in his Sunday blog that “patriots governing Hong Kong” is not only a fundamental principle but also a key essence of successful implementation of the “one country, two systems” policy.

“It is an imminent and urgent task to improve our electoral systems following the principle of ‘patriots governing Hong Kong’,” Cheung said, “or else the city’s stability and even national security would be threatened if anti-China or rebellious forces are allowed into the HKSAR governance system.”

In an interview earlier, Paul Chan Mo-po, financial secretary of Hong Kong, also backed the NPC’s decision to improve Hong Kong’s electoral system, saying the reforms will, once again after the implementation of the National Security Law, better secure the steadfastness of the “one country, two systems” principle by clarifying the bottom lines and closing the loopholes in the existing local election mechanism.

Teresa Cheng Yeuk-wah, secretary for justice, published an article to support the central authorities’ decision to improve the electoral system by implementing the “patriots governing Hong Kong” principle.

“The NPC’s deliberation aims at implementing the ‘one country, two systems’ policy unswervingly, to ensure the prosperity and stability of Hong Kong, and to safeguard the sovereignty, security and development interests of the country,” Cheng added.

At the end of the article, Cheng vowed to lead colleagues at the Department of Justice to assist in completing the relevant legislative amendments with dedicated efforts, with a view to implementing the decision to improve the local electoral system at the earliest possible date.

John Lee Ka-chiu, secretary for security of Hong Kong, said on Saturday that the principle of “patriots governing Hong Kong” is fully justified and is in the best interest of national security, as well as Hong Kong’s long-term stability.

Only by adhering to the original aspiration of “one country, two systems” and ensuring patriots as the main body in the governance will Hong Kong prosper and thrive on the right track, Lee added.