HK must be governed by patriots: expert

Principle seen as integral and core part of adhering to ‘one country, two systems’

A law professor specializing in Hong Kong and Macao studies has emphasized the importance of “patriots governing Hong Kong”, describing it as an integral and core part of “one country, two systems”.

It is a fundamental principle that must be followed in pursuit of developing and improving Hong Kong’s political system, said Wang Zhenmin, head of the Institute of State Governance and director of the Center for Hong Kong and Macao Studies at Tsinghua University.

Taking note of the emergence of radical forces advocating “Hong Kong independence” in recent years, Wang said such people had not only incited frequent street violence but also taken advantage of institutional loopholes to penetrate Hong Kong’s local governance structure in large numbers, posing the danger they could replace patriots as the main body of Hong Kong governance.

If Hong Kong were to be governed mainly by such people, it would never enjoy the bright future it is entitled to, Wang said.

It is hard to imagine how people who don’t love, or even hate, the country and oppose the “one country, two systems” principle could understand and implement “one country, two systems”, he said.

Wang said the importance of “patriots governing Hong Kong” in the policy and institutional structure of “one country, two systems” was put forward in the early 1980s and has been firmly adhered to, with relevant requirements put in place in Hong Kong’s Basic Law and the law on safeguarding national security in Hong Kong.

Explaining “patriots governing Hong Kong”, Wang said it includes opposing any secessionist acts, respecting and acknowledging the socialist system led by the Communist Party of China that is practiced in the main body of the country, respecting the national Constitution and the Basic Law of Hong Kong, and standing firmly with the motherland.

Governance by patriots is not unique to China, Wang said, noting that election candidates in many countries including the United States compete with each other on the basis of their patriotic ethos.

He added that people who rejected the constitutional order of the country and Hong Kong and who opposed “one country, two systems” had won legislative or district council elections in Hong Kong in recent years, revealing flaws in related systems and mechanisms.

Many people made no positive contributions to Hong Kong but won election simply by advocating “Hong Kong independence”, Wang said.

“The number of such people is increasing, which is absolutely abnormal,” he added, calling for a revamping of rules and regulations to better embody the fundamental principle of “patriots governing Hong Kong”.