Occupy Central

Occupy Central is a proposed civil disobedience protest which would take place in Central, Hong Kong in July 2014 for universal suffrage. The movement is initiated by Benny Tai Yiu-ting, an associate professor of law at the University of Hong Kong, in January 2013.

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Chinese official blames Hong Kong youth for Occupy Central movement

Thursday, 05 September, 2013, 7:59am

Joshua But and Tony Cheung

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Wang Zhimin, deputy director of the central government's liaison office. Photo: May Tse

A top mainland official in Hong Kong has launched a thinly veiled attack on the Occupy Central movement, saying that the city's "youth" are responsible for rejecting any action that will damage what he called "the rule of law".

The remark yesterday by Wang Zhimin, deputy director of the central government's liaison office, faithfully reflected Beijing's hardline stance against the civil disobedience plan proposed by University of Hong Kong law academic Benny Tai Yiu-ting as a last-ditch attempt to attain full democracy by 2017.

"Hong Kong is now at a crucial moment in its economic and democratic transition," Wang said in the opening speech of an anniversary event for Beijingloyalist group the Hong Kong United Youth Association. "It is the responsibility of the youth to treasure and safeguard Hong Kong's stability and to reject and prevent chaos that will damage and trample on the rule of law."

Wang added that the central government was content with the city's governance under Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying.

He called on young people to "stay united" and become "a new force" to support Leung, but he also said that some younger people had complaints that society should address.

On Tuesday, National People's Congress Chairman Zhang Dejiang said the central government firmly supported Leung and his government, the first such remark since this year's July 1 rally.

Zhang was also quoted as saying that "the rule of law is key" to improving livelihoods and to carrying out democratic reform.

This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition as Mainland official trains sights on Occupy Central

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This article is now closed to comments

Camel Sep 6th 2013
9:25pm

You are so naiv. Of course the Universal Suffrage is mentioned in the Joint Declaration. But it is also mentioned that no matter what Mainland China is the Parent Country over HK.
So what if you can elect our CE and Lawmakers? You think you can do then what you want? If you vote for example the wrong ones, for example the ones who hold the British Colonial Flag in front of their marches, the traitors who are longing back the Colonial Times and foreign rules, - this is and will be regarded as treason and separatism. China will act on this "violation". So even we do have "universal suffrage", we won't decide over the political direction of HK by ourself.

caractacus Sep 5th 2013
7:49pm

Zhang Dejiang was quoted as saying that "the rule of law is key", but he, Wang Zhimin and their fellow cadres would not know the rule of law if it fell on their heads.
What the "rule of law" means to these people is: they decide what the law is, according to any particular governing whim and their own convenience, and the people must obey them!
In China's governing culture there is either a total lack of understanding or a stubborn unwillingness to acknowledge that power is wielded for any purpose other than for the benefit of the rulers, not the ruled.

Camel Sep 5th 2013
7:01pm

It will take time until people like this Mr. Wang will become extinct. In fact there are many hardliners in the CCP who would love to eradicate the agreement 50 years-no-change. Don't give the hardliners the reasons to question this agreement by violating it from ourside.

caractacus Sep 5th 2013
8:27pm

Wanting democracy (or universal suffrage) is not a violation of the Joint Declaration. It is guaranteed in the Basic Law which China has no intention of honouring whenever it is not expedient.
So should the people stay quiet like good little robots? That will bolster the CCP thugs' conceited belief they are in the right and will only encourage them to further abuses. People are not willing to tolerate the stink of corruption the cronies leave behind everywhere they go.

lamlm38 Sep 6th 2013
10:14am

ur quite right they have no intention of honoring thee BL just that they cant say it outright.. think Donald, Tung, CY know it all along. point is whether ur Civil Disobedience works btr with these thugs? they could not care less what the world thinks of them, not with the mainland economy is the only one growing.

mbophui Sep 6th 2013
12:50pm

@lyono:
Exactly, we all know the CCP doesn't want to honor the Basic Law, which is why we will fight to preserve the agreement which they signed. Also, when the RMB becomes unfixed and starts to rise in value, the mainland economy will suffer because the low cost manufacturing jobs will move out of China.

mbophui Sep 5th 2013
11:41am

the Mainland government only mentions the "rule of law" when it suits their purposes. They care nothing for the opinions & welfare of the Hong Kong people.

wwong888 Sep 5th 2013
9:15am

he is one evil looking b-stard

wwong888 Sep 5th 2013
9:15am

he is one evil looking b-stard

ianson Sep 5th 2013
9:10am

Read the Basic L A W, Mr Wang. It says we get full democracy. That's what "rule of law" is all about. You don't deliver, you get Occupy Central and much, much more besides.