China's man in Hong Kong Zhang Xiaoming hits out at democracy protests

Instilling a sense of national pride and belonging in young people should be a priority for the education system in the wake of Occupy Central, Beijing's top official in Hong Kong said yesterday.

In a high-profile speech at the spring reception of the central government's liaison office, director Zhang Xiaoming also warned the city to be wary of attempts to advocate independence or confront Beijing by illegal means.

Last year's 79-day civil disobedience sit-ins dominated Zhang's keynote speech to more than 4,000 guests as he warned against using the city's high degree of autonomy as a pretext to reject Beijing's authority.

He said Occupy had brought a "deep wound to Hong Kong society", but praised the response of the government and police.

"Hong Kong enjoys a high degree of autonomy, but this does not mean that it … could disrespect the central authority's power, that includes the decision-making power on important political issues such as universal suffrage," Zhang said, in reference to the spark for the protests - Beijing's stringent rules on nominations when Hongkongers elect the chief executive for the first time in 2017.

While the city's young people deserved more "love and care", they also needed "positive guidance" to help them understand the nation. Referring to comments President Xi Jinping made on the youth of Macau in December, Zhang added: "Priority should be given to the history, culture and national conditions … in the education of the young people."