Hong Kong must be governed by “staunch patriots”, says senior Chinese official

BEIJING, Feb. 22 (Xinhua): A senior Chinese official on Hong Kong affairs on Monday said the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) must be governed by “staunch patriots.” Addressing a high-level symposium on Hong Kong affairs, Xia Baolong, vice chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference and head of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council, said patriots must meet three main sets of criteria. The first criterion, Xia said, is that patriots must sincerely uphold the nation’s sovereignty, security and development interests. They must not conduct activities endangering national sovereignty…