Hong Kong independence advocates have the ‘mentality of losers’ former education chief says
Arthur Li Kwok-cheung weighed in on the pro-independence banner saga for the first time on Monday
Pro-independence posters in university campuses reflect a “mentality of losers” among local students in the face of strong competition from their mainland peers, the University of Hong Kong’s governing council chairman has said.
It was the first time Li, former education chief of Hong Kong, weighed in on the recent saga since a banner and a number of pro-independence posters appeared at the Chinese University campus and another taunting the tragic death of the son of the city’s No 2 education officer appeared at Education University.
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Speaking on an English TV programme, Li said Hong Kong relies on the mainland for basic supplies and trade so much that discussions of separation are meaningless.
“Why do people still want Hong Kong independence? It’s very simple. Our young people in the university cannot compete with our mainland students in terms of scholarships, in terms of prizes, mainland students are winning all the way,” concluded the chairman dubbed “King Arthur” or “Tsar” by critics of his heavy-headed and combative managing style.
“Instead of saying let’s lift our game, let’s compete, they are saying we don’t want to play with you any more, we want to run away, we want to be independent from you. It’s basically the mentality of losers,” said Li.