Mainland paper slams Hong Kong independence advocates in 1,000-word commentary
People’s Daily article entitled “Hong Kong independence a harm to the city and must not be tolerated” was published on Thursday
Hong Kong independence advocates have not only hurt the sentiment of China’s population but the whole Chinese race around the world and must be punished by law, a commentary by the People’s Daily has said as the Beijing-controlled newspaper stepped up its attack against two localist lawmakers amid the oath-taking row.
While similar commentaries were regularly published in the overseas edition of People’s Daily, the 1,000-word article, titled “Hong Kong independence a harm to the city and must not be tolerated”, appeared in the mainland print version on Thursday.
Without naming names, the article slammed the behaviour of some “newly elected lawmakers” by promoting independence during the oath-taking ceremony.
“Their acts have seriously violated the bottom line of ‘one country, two systems’, the national constitution, the Basic Law and relevant provisions in Hong Kong,” it read.
Watch: Hong Kong localists rush into the Legco chamber to retake their oath