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

Beijing constitutional expert tells civil servants that independence advocacy has nothing to do with freedom of expression, a fundamental right in the city, and is ‘hurtful to national feelings’

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Qiao Xiaoyang spoke to about 200 top officials at the government’s headquarters at Admiralty on Friday. Photo: Sam Tsang

Published: 7:03pm, 20 Apr 2018Updated: 11:39pm, 20 Apr 2018

Advocating independence for Hong Kong has nothing to do with the right to free expression and is unconstitutional, a Beijing expert visiting the city to “promote and popularise” the Chinese constitution said on Friday.

Qiao Xiaoyang, retired chairman of the national legislature’s law committee, made clear to 200 top officials at a closed-door seminar that he did not consider pro-independence calls to be part of freedom of expression, which is a fundamental right enshrined in the city’s mini-constitution.

Ronny Tong Ka-wah, an adviser to Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, quoted Qiao as saying: “[Advocating independence] is hurtful to national feelings and contrary to the national constitution.

“Under the constitution, Hong Kong is a region under China’s unitary system. So, Hongkongers have the duty to uphold the constitution, and shouldn’t do anything against the constitution and oppose the unitary system on the mainland.”

Qiao also said that while the central government would maintain a capitalist system in Hong Kong, it would be unconstitutional to “subvert the socialist system led by the Communist Party”, noted Wong Kwok-kin, a member of Lam’s Executive Council.

Ronny Tong attended the seminar with Qiao Xiaoyang and said he did not put pressure on the administration to enact the national security law. Photo: Sam Tsang