Politics
15:11, 17-Sep-2017
Hong Kong's chief secretary: Advocating 'independence' intolerable
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"'Hong Kong independence' is a complete violation of the Basic Law," Matthew Cheung Kin-chung, Hong Kong's chief secretary for administration, told reporters on Saturday, stressing that "there is absolutely no room for the discussion" of the notion.
Cheung made the remarks after the heads of 10 universities in Hong Kong issued a joint statement to condemn "recent abuses" of "freedom of expression."
Earlier this month, a video circulated on China's social media capturing a mainland student tearing down pro-Hong Kong independence posters on "democracy wall" notice boards at the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK).
"All universities undersigned agree that we do not support Hong Kong independence, which contravenes the Basic Law," said the statement, released on Friday by CUHK alongside nine other local universities.
Cheung described the information conveyed by the statement as "explicit" and "correct" and slammed the advocacy of "Hong Kong independence" for challenging "the bottom line of national sovereignty and territorial integrity."
The government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region will not accept or tolerate the discussion of "independence," he stressed.
On September 8, Hong Kong's Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor condemned "Hong Kong independence" as a violation of the "One Country, Two Systems" principle and the Basic Law, adding that freedom of speech does not mean speech without limits.
CUHK said in a separate statement on Friday that it would remove the materials advocating "Hong Kong independence" on its campus.
"The Basic Law stipulates that Hong Kong is an inalienable part of the People's Republic of China," the statement said. "CUHK reiterates that the University is against the notion of Hong Kong independence."
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