All Hongkongers must be “patriotic” and respect the rule of China’s Communist Party as this is their duty, a mainland legal expert has suggested ahead of a Beijing meeting that will discuss eliminating Hong Kong’s “unpatriotic” pro-democracy politicians from elections.

Beihang University’s associate law professor Tian Feilong echoed the official stance, after mainland officials highlighted patriotism as a requirement for Hongkongers serving in government positions, the legislature, the judiciary, district councils and other public organizations.

Beijing is expected to introduce sweeping changes to Hong Kong elections during its annual “two sessions” of the top legislative and political advisory bodies starting Thursday. One possible proposal is to block democratic politicians from running in the polls using “patriotic” standards.

Hongkongers were Chinese nationals and therefore it was their duty to love China, Tian wrote in the Hong Kong newspaper Ming Pao on Wednesday. This obliged them to respect the party’s rule even though it would not be mandatory for them to “love the party,” he explained.

The legal scholar said Hong Kong’s democracy had been “unpatriotic,” as evidenced in the 2014 Occupy protests and the 2019 citywide demonstrations. Its democratic values were in vigorous conflict with China’s national security and posed a “subversive” risk as Hongkongers had used democracy as a weapon to confront the mainland and assist anti-China forces in the West, he claimed.

Beijing therefore needed to uphold national security through structural changes to Hong Kong’s elections and government structure, and by implementing the principle of “patriots ruling Hong Kong,” Tian said.

A Beijing loyalist in Hong Kong, Tam Yiu-chung, echoed Tian’s views. The delegate to the National People’s Congress Standing Committee told mainland newspaper Southern Metropolis Daily that those who did not love China would not govern Hong Kong well.

Proposals that Beijing is understood to be studying include ditching 117 seats held by district councilors, who are predominantly elected pro-democracy politicians, from a 1,200-strong panel that chooses Hong Kong’s No. 1 leader.

Former Hong Kong chief executive Leung Chun-ying on Wednesday voiced support for the proposal. He said district councilors had failed to show any signs of “correcting their evil doings.”

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