Young Hong Kong National Party radicals test limits of legal freedoms

Hong Kong National Party, the new kid on the radical block, is igniting debate on whether an extreme party that rejects the Basic Law and wants to turn Hong Kong into an independent republic can exist legally.

While it is not the first group to advocate independence, it is at the extreme end of the localism movement as it has not only refused to recognise the Basic Law, the city’s mini-constitution, it has pledged to use “whatever means available” for Hong Kong to break away from the mainland.

Can such a party exist in Hong Kong, a special administrative region of China, and can a Hong Kong citizen advocate independence without facing legal repercussions are among the questions that have sparked divided views.

While some argued advocating independence without taking any action was part of freedom of speech, last night Beijing’s liaison office chief Zhang Xiaoming disagreed with such a stance. In an interview with Phoenix TV, he said the founding of the new party “went beyond the realm of the freedom of expression ... and must not be tolerated”.

His comments came after Beijing’s Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office accused the party of being in serious violation of the country’s constitution and a threat to national security.

A Hong Kong government spokesman also waded into the debate, pledging “to take action”, but did not quite say what that would mean.