Twelve nominees for the seventh-term Legislative Council (LegCo) General Election in China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) were invalidated by Returning Officers of the Registration and Electoral Office of the HKSAR government on Thursday.

The HKSAR government agreed with and supported the decisions of the Returning Officers on Thursday.

The HKSAR government reiterated that upholding the HKSAR Basic Law is a fundamental constitutional duty of every LegCo member. People having the following behaviors could not genuinely uphold the HKSAR Basic Law and could not therefore perform the duties of a LegCo member: advocating or promoting "Hong Kong independence", "self-determination" or handling the system of the HKSAR by supporting "Hong Kong independence" as an option for "self-determination"; soliciting intervention by foreign governments or political groups in relation to the HKSAR's affairs; expressing an objection in principle to the enactment of the national security law in HKSAR by the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress and its subsequent promulgation as a national law listed in Annex III to the HKSAR Basic Law; expressing an intention to exercise the functions of a LegCo member by indiscriminately voting down any legislative proposals, appointments, funding applications and budgets introduced by the HKSAR government after securing a majority in the LegCo so as to force the HKSAR government to accede to certain political demands; and refusal to recognize China's exercise of sovereignty over the HKSAR and the HKSAR's constitutional status as a local administrative region of the PRC.

The HKSAR government said the 12 nominees, including Joshua Wong Chi-fung and Dennis Kwok Wing-hang, have been invalidated by Returning Officers since their nominations are not in compliance with the requirement under the Legislative Council Ordinance. Returning Officers are still reviewing the validity of other nominations according to the laws and the possibility that more nominations would be invalidated shall not be ruled out.

The HKSAR government said that the decisions of Returning Officers aim to ensure that the election is held in strict accordance with the HKSAR Basic Law and other applicable laws in an open, honest and fair manner. There is no question of any political censorship, restriction of the freedom of speech or deprivation of the right to stand for elections as alleged by some members of the community.

The HKSAR government respects and safeguards the lawful rights of Hong Kong people, including the right to vote and the right to stand for elections. It also has a duty to implement and uphold the HKSAR Basic Law and ensure that all elections would be conducted in accordance with the HKSAR Basic Law and relevant electoral laws.