'Beijing will be watching carefully': Singapore PM on Occupy Central
Lee Hsien Loong has voiced his opinion of the Occupy Central movement, saying it is best left up to Hong Kong to sort out and outside influences won't help
Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, has given his perspective on the Occupy Central movement in Hong Kong and its implications for China and the region.
There will be issues that will come up from time to time, he said, and they have to be resolved by Hong Kong and China in a way which is in the interests of Hong Kong, doesn’t hurt the interests of China and is in accordance to the law.
“I’m quite sure there’s a large team on the Chinese side in Beijing watching this very carefully … very, very carefully.”
“These are peaceful demonstrations – that’s good. It’s not in Tiananmen, they are not in Zhongnanhai, that lowers the temperature,” he noted.
“But even then, it’s a difficult situation for the chief executive and his team to manage and I’m quite sure there’s a large team on the Chinese side in Beijing watching this very carefully … very, very carefully.”
“You are looking at Hong Kong matters – Hong Kong looking after Hong Kong. These are things best of all Hong Kong can sort out for itself,” he said.
“But if other groups get involved and use this to pressure China or to change China, or, [as] I read [in] international newspapers, former activists from Tiananmen have come to help the students. I don’t think they need such help.
“Or the students who were doing the Sunflower Movement in Taipei also coming to compare notes, [to] teach you how to occupy something [or] also coming to occupy something. I don’t think such help is in anyway helpful. I think that will only make things much more complicated.”
