Hong Kong should support Communist Party and not cross ‘legal line’ to oppose socialism, Qiao Xiaoyang says

Former chairman of the national legislature’s law committee launches rare appeal in the city, citing country’s fundamental system and constitution

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Beijing constitutional expert Qiao Xiaoyang (centre) is on a week-long trip to Hong Kong to ‘promote and popularise’ the Chinese constitution. Photo: Winson Wong

Published: 9:32pm, 21 Apr 2018Updated: 3:46pm, 22 Apr 2018

Hongkongers are free to practise their capitalist system in the city but they should support the Communist Party and accept that it is unconstitutional to oppose China’s socialist system despite their ideological differences, a visiting mainland legal expert said on Saturday.

Qiao Xiaoyang, retired chairman of the national legislature’s law committee, said the city’s residents must recognise that Hong Kong is under China’s “unitary system”. He added that this meant the Basic Law, which Hongkongers abide by, ultimately draws its authority from the country’s constitution.

“The Basic Law does not grant the right to oppose the nation’s fundamental system,” he told participants at a seminar held as part of his week-long tour to promote and popularise the Chinese constitution.

Campaigning for independence is not a basic right in Hong Kong, Qiao Xiaoyang says

Making a rare appeal to Hongkongers to back the Communist Party, Qiao also issued a stern warning that the central government would not allow Hong Kong to be used “to shake up the nation’s socialist system”.

“There is an important legal boundary to Hong Kong’s capitalist system. The condition is that it must support the nation’s socialist system and be beneficial to it,” he said.

Why wouldn’t you support the Chinese Communist Party?

Qiao Xiaoyang

“Hongkongers seem to be scared off when they hear the phrase ‘socialism with Chinese characteristics’,” he added. “If you pay attention to [President] Xi Jinping’s thought, perhaps you might realise – which part of it does not speak to the people? Which part of it is unacceptable?

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Hong Kong should support Communist Party and not cross ‘legal line’ to oppose socialism, Qiao Xiaoyang says

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Former chairman of the national legislature’s law committee launches rare appeal in the city, citing country’s fundamental system and constitution

Campaigning for independence is not a basic right in Hong Kong, Qiao Xiaoyang says

Former chairman of the national legislature’s law committee launches rare appeal in the city, citing country’s fundamental system and constitution