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People sign their names in support of improving the electoral system of the HKSAR in Hong Kong, south China, March 11, 2021. /Xinhua
A candidate qualification review committee will be set up in China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) to exclude anti-China, destabilizing forces from the HKSAR's institutions of power, a senior Chinese lawmaker said on Sunday.
Zhang Yong, deputy head of the Commission for Legislative Affairs of the National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, made the remarks when responding to a question on the plan during an interview.
The mechanism of the candidate qualification review was specified in the amended Annex I and Annex II to the Basic Law of the HKSAR, which were adopted at the 27th session of the Standing Committee of the 13th NPC on Tuesday.
The committee shall be responsible for reviewing and confirming the qualifications of candidates for membership of the Election Committee, the chief executive and the Legislative Council members, according a decision on improving the electoral system of the HKSAR adopted by the NPC at its annual session on March 11.
Establishing the committee is an important institutional arrangement to ensure the "patriots administering Hong Kong" principle is followed, Zhang said.
When public opinion was solicited, many people in the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong called for setting up an effective "safety valve" in the region's electoral system to prevent anti-China, destabilizing forces from entering the institutions of power, he added.
The move is a necessary requirement for implementing the "patriots administering Hong Kong" principle and embodies the common will of people across the nation, including those living in Hong Kong, he stressed.
Zhang urged the HKSAR to fully and accurately implement the requirements in the NPC decision and the amended annexes, and amend relevant local laws accordingly.
According to the amended annexes, the new committee shall be responsible for reviewing and confirming the qualifications of candidates, while the committee for safeguarding national security of the HKSAR shall make judgments on whether the candidates meet the legal requirements of the Basic Law and loyalty to the HKSAR of the People's Republic of China.
