Senior Beijing official reaffirms importance of ‘patriots’ running Hong Kong at seminar, as pro-establishment attendees agree on need for political overhaul

A top Beijing official overseeing Hong Kong affairs has reaffirmed the importance of “patriots” governing the city in a speech to pro-establishment figures in Shenzhen, with state media reporting that those in attendance unanimously agreed that the time had come for a comprehensive overhaul of the local political system.

Xia Baolong, director of the State Council’s Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office, said on Monday that he believed that the majority of the city’s residents were indeed patriotic, and that it was paramount to put them in charge to ensure that the “one country, two systems” principle could continue to be implemented in the long run.

“The central government’s firm determination in implementing ‘one country, two systems’ will not change … We must improve the relevant systems to ensure that Hong Kong’s organs of political power are firmly in the hands of real patriots,” Xia declared, according to state news agency Xinhua.

“To love the country is to love the People’s Republic of China … The central government’s relevant authorities will continue to listen to the views of various sectors in Hong Kong.”

Xia’s remarks came as he concluded a two-day seminar in Shenzhen to listen to the views of Hong Kong’s pro-establishment leaders on reworking the city’s electoral and political systems to ensure public office holders were sufficiently patriotic, a precept cited by President Xi Jinping in January as fundamental to the city’s long-term stability and prosperity.

Xinhua reported that during the seminar, attendees unanimously agreed with Xia’s stance, maintaining that no country in the world would allow any part of itself to be run by those deemed unpatriotic.