The Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council on Tuesday expressed support for China's top legislature's adoption of amended annexes to the Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR).

The improvement of the electoral system provides an institutional guarantee for the principle of "patriots administering Hong Kong" and the long-term prosperity and stability of Hong Kong, said the office.

Read more: China's top legislature adopts amended annexes to HKSAR Basic Law

The amended annexes – Annex I: Method for the Selection of the Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and Annex II: Method for the Formation of the Legislative Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and Its Voting Procedures – have plugged the loopholes and removed the deficiencies in the HKSAR's electoral system and embody the common will of people across the nation, including those living in Hong Kong, the office said in a statement. 

It is a basic political principle in the whole world that political power must be in the hands of patriots, the office stressed. 

Hong Kong is a special administrative region of China and its institutions of power and administrative organs must always be in the hands of people who love the country and who love Hong Kong, it said. 

This will ensure full and accurate implementation of the "One Country, Two Systems" principle, it said. 

The move is necessary for maintaining political stability in Hong Kong and improving the wellbeing of its residents, it added.

The office said the HKSAR government will revise relevant local laws in line with China's top legislature's decision and the newly adopted amendments to improve the electoral system and will organize and regulate electoral activities in accordance with the law.

The office called on all sectors of Hong Kong to support the work of the HKSAR government and LegCo so as to create an optimal environment for various elections to be held on schedule.

The formulation and implementation of the national security law in the HKSAR and the improvement of the HKSAR electoral system serve the same ultimate goal, which is ensuring that the implementation of the "One Country, Two Systems" policy remains on the right path, noted the office.

The Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the HKSAR on Tuesday said the amendments provide a significant institutional guarantee for the "patriots administering Hong Kong" principle and will usher the development of the democratic system suited to Hong Kong's realities into a new phase.

The liaison office said in a statement that it firmly upholds the amendments and fully supports the HKSAR government in amending relevant local laws.

The office said the central government paid high attention to the opinion of Hong Kong people as about 100 seminars, visits and interviews were arranged in Hong Kong to heed voices of Hong Kong residents from all walks of life.

Hong Kong society has also reached the consensus of implementing the "patriots administering Hong Kong" principle and improving the electoral system, the office said, citing more than 2.38 million residents having signed a petition to show their support.

The HKSAR's national security law has laid a solid legal foundation for safeguarding national security and Hong Kong's peace, and improving the electoral system of the HKSAR provides an institutional guarantee for ensuring the implementation of the "patriots administering Hong Kong" principle, the office said.

The amendments are important for the lasting prosperity and stability of Hong Kong, the Legislative Affairs Commission of the National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee said Tuesday. 

While fixing the loopholes in the region's electoral system, the improvements also make it more representative and ensure more balanced public participation, said Zang Tiewei, spokesperson for the commission. 

The move will help enhance the efficacy of the administration of the HKSAR and lay the constitutional basis and legal framework for further improvements of the political system of the region, he added.

The Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China in the HKSAR said on the same day that no external interference will hamper the "One Country, Two Systems" principle and any plot to meddle with Hong Kong affairs and exert pressure on China is doomed to fail. 

A spokesperson of the office in a statement urged the international community to fully and accurately understand and earnestly support the "One Country, Two Systems" principle and play a constructive role in Hong Kong's prosperity and stability. 

(With input from Xinhua)