Editor's note: Zhu Zheng is an assistant professor focusing on constitutional law and politics at China University of Political Science and Law. The article reflects the author's opinions and not necessarily the views of CGTN.

On March 11, the National People's Congress (NPC), China's top legislature, adopted a decision on improving the electoral system of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR). The decision is to ensure that only "patriots" can govern Hong Kong, which is the most recent policy on Hong Kong issues from the Chinese central government.

According to a draft of the decision, the main text of the Basic Law will not be revised, but the Annexes I and II of the law will be adjusted, with the size of the Election Committee (EC) which selects the Chief Executive expanded from 1,200 to 1,500 seats, and the Legislative Council, the city's legislature, from 70 to 90 people.

Also, the District Councils (DC) which are the local councils for the 18 districts of Hong Kong will be subject to improvements, with all councilors removed from the EC. A new vetting body will be set under the Chief Executive to vet every candidate running for public office, including the Legislative Council and DC.

The decision states that the EC shall be composed of 1,500 members from the following areas: industrial, commercial and financial sectors; the professions; grassroots, labor, religious and other sectors; LegCo members and representatives of district organizations; Hong Kong deputies to the NPC, Hong Kong members of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and representatives of Hong Kong members of related national organizations.

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang stated in the annual government work report that "we will resolutely guard against and deter external forces' interference in the affairs of Hong Kong and Macao."

Wang Chen, vice chairman of the NPC, also said that "for years, anti-China forces seeking to disrupt Hong Kong have been colluding with external forces in an attempt to seize the jurisdiction over Hong Kong…Effective measures must be taken to block these pawns of anti-China forces from being elected to HKSAR's governance architecture, and knock them out once and for all."

Although details of the composition of the expanded seats are awaited, it is clear that under the proposed changes the unpatriotic will be ousted and Hong Kong will be ruled by patriots.

In the eyes of Tam Yiu-chung, Hong Kong's delegate to the Standing Committee of the NPC, a majority of people in Hong Kong are ready for the change, and the opposition parties only have themselves to blame for.

Tam pointed out that it is because the opposition used previous political reforms and elections as tools to challenge the central and HKSAR governments that the Chinese mainland felt the need to take action. "In 2014, the Chinese mainland fully trusted Hong Kong. But incidents broke out, parts of the city were brought to a standstill for 79 days, and we achieved nothing," he added.

The improvements will be a heavy blow to the opposition parties in the city. It should be noted that the proposal gives much weight to the chief executive, enabling her to weed out those unpatriotic Legislative Council candidates and irresponsible ones.

Indeed, the improvement of the electoral system does not only aim to make sure patriots govern Hong Kong, but competent patriots. By placing competent and loyal members into the Legislative Council, the the efficiency of the city authorities will be improved, order will be restored to the city and ties between the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong will be facilitated.

By implementing the principle of "patriots governing Hong Kong" and plugging the holes of the city's electoral system, more patriotic and responsible candidates will be able to run the city. This is perhaps the way to maintain the prosperity and stability of Hong Kong as the Basic Law promises.  

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