Hong Kong’s leader defended Beijing’s electoral reform measures on Friday, saying members of the pro-democracy camp can still run for elections if they are patriotic enough.

“Asking for somebody in a governing position to be patriotic is really not a high standard,” Chief Executive Carrie Lam said in an interview with the Chinese state television CGTN. “It is really the basic [level] for anybody who wants to have a role in the governance of a place.”

On Thursday, China’s top legislature passed measures to completely overhaul Hong Kong’s electoral system, requiring vetting for all candidates running for chief executive or the Legislative Council.

Lam expressed gratitude and support for the action by the National People’s Congress, adding that the only objective of the reform package was to “ensure that governance is firmly in the hands of those who love the country.”

“As long as [pro-democracy politicians] are able to meet the standards of a patriot, then they will have more opportunities to take part in an election and to win the election,” she said.

Asked about foreign governments’ criticism of the electoral overhaul, Lam said they were guilty of having double standards.

“If the current U.S. administration could seriously condemn the siege of the capitol in Washington, D.C., how could they turn a blind eye to the blatant violence that has taken place in Hong Kong for almost a year?” Lam said.

“They were only suffering for a day, but we have been victimized for over a year. Our Legislative Council has been destroyed far more extensively than what we saw in Washington, D.C.”

Lam also argued that Hong Kong still has freedom of speech, because she was still being attacked “day in day out” by local newspapers.

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