The Hong Kong Garrison of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) holds a drill in waters near Hong Kong, June 26, 2019. Members of the army, navy and air force of the PLA garrison in Hong Kong took part in the joint naval and air patrol exercise that aimed to review and raise the units' combat abilities in emergency dispatches, ad hoc deployment and joint operations. Photo: 81.cn

The central government will not sacrifice and leave Hong Kong behind because of the current situation, and will not treat the majority of people in Hong Kong, or even the young protesters who have made mistakes as enemies, said a former official of the liaison office of the central government in Hong Kong on Saturday.

"Of course, for those evil manipulators behind this turmoil in Hong Kong and those who are poisoning our young people in Hong Kong, the motherland will not spare them, and we will make them pay a heavy price for what they have done and what they are doing right now, so that their loss outweighs their gain," Wang Zhenmin, former director of the Legal Affairs Department of the central government's liaison office in Hong Kong said at a symposium held in Shenzhen, South China's Guangdong Province.

At the symposium hosted by the Chinese Association of Hong Kong & Macao Studies to commemorate the 115th birthday of late Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping, senior officials and top experts said that further violence and chaos in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) could jeopardize the city's future and the country's sovereignty, and that the central government might step in if necessary.

If unrest takes place in Hong Kong, the central government "of course" can step in to restore order and peace and ensure the proper functioning of "one country, two systems," said Tam Wai-chu, deputy director of the Hong Kong SAR Basic Law Committee of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress.

Weeks of violence and chaos have persisted in the SAR, with some secessionist forces backed by foreign powers constantly challenging the model that ensures Hong Kong's high-degree of autonomy and the country's sovereignty.

At the symposium, Xu Ze, president of the Chinese Association of Hong Kong & Macao Studies, said that the persistent violence in Hong Kong has undermined Hong Kong's interests and will threaten China's national interests and if they continue 

"Hong Kong could face the risk of sinking," Xu said.

Lau Siu-kai, vice president of the association added that the situation in Hong Kong is a "final battle" between "China and foreign and domestic anti-Beijing forces led by the US," with radical elements attempting to "seize power" from the central government and the SAR government.

Such intentions and violent actions could lead to "unbearable loss" for Hong Kong, said Wang, who is also the director of the Center for Hong Kong and Macao Studies at Tsinghua University. 

"If the 'one country, two systems' does not exist anymore it will be a huge loss for [China] but will be bearable because all it needs to do is to implement 'one country, one system' in Hong Kong. That would be a disaster for Hong Kong and a complete and unbearable loss," Wang said. 

While the motherland has confidence and patience with the youth of Hong Kong, and is waiting for them to change their mind-set, if the street violence continues that "disaster" scenario is "completely predictable. Is that what some of these people want?" asked Wang. 


Newspaper headline: Nation will not spare ‘evil manipulators’