An Min urges calm amid panic over patriotism

 

An Min, the Chinese Vice-Minister of Commerce, called for calm in Hong Kong and urged the Hong Kong people to ignore the "nonsense" about patriotism. Speaking as guest of honour at the Leader of the Year 2003 award ceremony in Hong Kong last night, he admonished, "Don't be panic stricken. To quote a phrase by Chairman Mao, 'The sky cannot fall apart.' You have the strong backing of your motherland."

 

He said that he was speaking as a Chinese citizen, not as a representative of the Central Government. He urged Hong Kong people to ignore the patriotism "nonsense", saying that "some people have been uttering nonsense and doing reckless things, claiming to be representatives of the Hong Kong people." Instead, he beseeched Hong Kong people to regard loving Hong Kong as a 'social duty'. "I hope that the leaders would see it as their social duty to love Hong Kong and make it prosperous", he declared. This comes as something of an olive branch after An's vicious remarks last week on patriotism in which he argued that the Communist Party also represented Hong Kong.

 

Last night he argued that Hong Kong and China were closely related, and reassured that difficulties felt in Hong Kong were "well understood" in Beijing. He added that the Central Government would continue to support Hong Kong through CEPA and by encouraging individual tourism from the mainland.

 

Indirectly addressing this issue of patriotism, he commented that there are some political forces in Hong Kong who fail to realise that they are Chinese and "don't understand the motherland concept and think they are entitled to every right. This is wrong." "First," he argued, "they have to know that Hong Kong belongs to China. Second, that Hong Kong people are also Chinese people. Hong Kong belongs to the 1.3 billion people of China. They must try to understand this concept." He argued that many people still think that they are British, and have forgotten that they are Chinese. " 'One country, two systems' is not 'one country, two hearts'."

 

An proceeded to berate some people in the pro-democracy camp. "A high degree of autonomy and Hong Kong people governing Hong Kong does not mean that they can divide our country or incite the people. … [The troublemakers] are incapable of any ground-breaking changes. Hong Kong should be able to see clearly what this group of people can do. Hong Kong people should remain calm, be more rational." He continued that "we will not allow some people to use the excuse of 'one country, two systems' to turn the heads of the Hong Kong people and distort the authority of the central government. … Some people have been trying to stir up fire. If Hong Kong becomes chaotic, who will suffer? They won't suffer. It's the Hong Kong compatriots who will suffer," he said. "These people want to cheat others with audacious schemes." He urged clarity of thought so that the Hong Kong people are not duped into forsaking their loyalty to the mainland.

 

He also attacked an unnamed person, believed to be The Frontier legislator Emily Lau, for her public declaration of support for the choice of the Taiwan people on the independence issue. He declared that "this is, in fact, showing public support for Taiwan's independence. Taiwan is Chinese territory. It is a territory that 1.3 billion people are dreaming day and night will return to the motherland." He added that he is confident that the Hong Kong people "will make the right choice eventually."

 

He concluded that "Former president Jiang Zemin once said to Hong Kong that 'Tomorrow will be better.' This fully represents the central government's trust in Hong Kong."