There are limits to the exceptions you can enjoy, Hong Kong warned
People's Daily commentary scolds Hongkongers for thinking they deserve more special treatment
There were limits to the exceptions granted to Hong Kong by the central government, the latest Beijing commentary on the Occupy sit-ins said.
It also said that Hong Kong people "should realise that only dialogue and reconciliation can solve problems, not extreme resistance".
The piece, posted on the website of the Communist Party's official newspaper, said the benign treatment granted Hong Kong, such as the "one country, two systems" formula and the ability to govern itself, had led some in the city to think they were the exception to the rest of the nation.
"Occupy Central is the extreme embodiment of the ethos of 'Hong Kong exceptionalism'," and it had crossed a line, said the commentary. The writer is identified as Guoping.
The central government had taken a pragmatic approach in giving Hong Kong some "exceptional" policies, demonstrating Beijing's rationality, generosity and tolerance, it said, adding: "Some people should not keep asking for more; they should know where the line of exceptions is."
It also reasserted the supreme authority of the decision made by the National People's Congress Standing Committee on electoral reform, saying it must be "thoroughly executed and not be affected by external pressure like Occupy Central".