Patriotism seems straightforward, but not in debate on Hong Kong's future

Samuel Johnson called it the last refuge of the scoundrel. Calvin Coolidge said it was "looking out for yourself by looking out for your country". But in Hong Kong, patriotism is not so succinctly defined.

The concept of "patriotism" was first applied to Hong Kong's political system in 1984, when paramount leader Deng Xiaoping raised it as part of his "one country, two systems" formula - while making it explicit that support for socialism was not a prerequisite for elected office in Hong Kong.

But recent remarks by mainland officials insisting that the city's next chief executive - due to be elected under universal suffrage for the first time - must not oppose the central government indicate a shift in Beijing's definition of the term. That, in turn, has stirred a debate on what patriotism actually means.

Politburo Standing Committee member Yu Zhengsheng kicked off the latest round of heated rhetoric early last month, when he reportedly said in a closed-door meeting with Hong Kong delegates to the nation's parliament that "opposition" and "centrifugal forces" could not be allowed to rule Hong Kong after universal suffrage was attained.

The chairman of the Law Committee under the National People's Congress, Qiao Xiaoyang , later stoked the debate when he said members of the opposition camp who insisted on confronting the central government could not become chief executive. It was seen as the clearest hint yet that a screening mechanism would form part of the 2017 chief executive election - which Beijing has long vowed will allow a vote for all Hongkongers.

Qiao, who made his comments to Beijing-loyalist lawmakers at a meeting behind closed doors in Shenzhen, admitted it would be difficult to write into law the criteria that a candidate must "love country, love Hong Kong". But, he added, those "who confront the central government" would not qualify.