Hong Kong protesters’ five demands meant to ‘humiliate’ government, won’t solve city’s issues: Singapore PM
- Speaking at Forbes Global CEO Conference, Lee Hsien Loong says he finds it hard to imagine that ‘one country, two systems’ will last until 2047
- Singapore unlikely to benefit from unrest in Hong Kong, Lee adds as he addresses US-China trade war and country’s coming elections
The Lion City’s leader said if Hong Kong did not work within its mini-constitution, the Basic Law, it would be “very difficult to imagine” that the unique governance model in place since the city’s return to Chinese rule in 1997 could last until 2047, when the system is meant to expire.
He said the model “can be made to work [but] it is not easy.”
Speaking during a dialogue at the Forbes Global CEO Conference, Lee also stressed that Singapore was unlikely to benefit from Hong Kong’s woes because it depended heavily on investors having confidence in the entire region.
The comments were the Singaporean leader’s most extensive yet on the protests that have engulfed Hong Kong for 19 straight weeks.
“I don’t see any easy way forward because the demonstrators, they say they have five major demands, and not one can be compromised,” the 67-year-old leader said in response to questions about Hong Kong from Steve Forbes, the chairman and editor-in-chief of Forbes Media.