Lee: Work in progress for reviewing 'genuine patriots'

Hong Kong Chief Secretary for Administration John Lee Ka-chiu said the reviewing work of the eligibility of candidates for the upcoming Election Committee is progressing well, adding that it will take consideration of the candidates' words and deeds to decide whether they are "genuine patriots".

His remarks came after the weeklong nomination period for Hong Kong's revamped 1,500-strong Election Committee ended on Thursday, with 1,056 nominations received for the 40 subsectors. The newly-expanded committee will be responsible for nominating and selecting the city's Chief Executive and returning 40 lawmakers. The eligible candidates will be announced on Aug 26 and relevant elections will be held on Sept 19.

In an interview with Hong Kong China News Agency published on Friday, Lee, also the chairperson of the Candidate Eligibility Review Committee which takes charge of reviewing and confirming the eligibility of candidates for the Election Committee, revealed that the key to determining a candidate's eligibility lies in whether the candidate sincerely upholds the Basic Law and bears allegiance to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.

"We will make judgments based on various factors, including their words, deeds and articles written by them", Lee said.

But Lee stressed that a candidate's political stance is not the main consideration, and that the government is open to criticism if the advice is conducive to the city and conforms to the Basic Law.

Looking into the future, Lee is confident that the city will reclaim its appeal. "When we get threats to the national security and obstacles for governing out of the way, Hong Kong is sure to develop well."