Beijing frets pro-independence movement could ‘worsen or spread’, Hong Kong minister says
Constitutional and Mainland Affairs minister’s remarks follow meeting with central government official
Beijing is worried that budding pro-independence sentiment in Hong Kong could “worsen or spread”, the city’s constitutional affairs minister said on Friday after a meeting with a senior central government official.
Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Raymond Tam Chi-yuen discussed the contentious issue with Wang Zhimin, deputy chief of the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office, in the capital.
When asked if Wang told him to stop people from advocating independence, Tam said: “No, but they are concerned about it and whether it will worsen or spread.”
“The central and local governments both believe that ‘one country, two systems’ is the best framework for the overall long-term interest of Hong Kong,” he continued. “We cannot agree on any act or remark that seeks to damage that, and the best way to handle the issue is to implement the framework well.”
After the founding of the Hong Kong National Party on March 28, Wang’s office denounced the pro-independence group as a threat to national security.
