Following is the transcript of remarks by the Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, at a media session with the Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs, Mr Erick Tsang Kwok-wai, after visiting the polling station of the 2021 Election Committee Subsector Ordinary Elections at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre this morning (September 19):

Reporter: So critics say the revamp to the electoral system is designed to shut out all the opposition voices out of Hong Kong's political process. Do you agree?

Chief Executive: Of course not. The whole objective of improving the electoral system of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region is to ensure "patriots administering Hong Kong". This is a very legitimate objective of any public election in any government. I doubt very much that another government or another country will allow the public elections to their local legislature to consist of people whose mission is to undermine the national interest or the national security. By design, whether it is in the form of the Candidate Eligibility Review Committee or the nomination system in the coming three elections, the whole purpose is to ensure that the candidates could fulfil that very legitimate requirement that I have just mentioned and which has been enshrined in our local legislation. We still welcome people from all walks of life and people who have different opinions about government policies to go into the political system as long as we all share the common objective that we will continue to succeed under "One Country, Two Systems" and we will not do anything to undermine national security.

(Please also refer to the Chinese portion of the transcript.)

Ends/Sunday, September 19, 2021
Issued at HKT 13:03

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