Beijing Steps Up Campaign Against HK Protests

The State Council on Thursday stepped up its media campaign against the anti-extradition movement, by inviting a number of Basic Law scholars to address the SAR's crisis at a press conference.

One academic, Zou Pingxue, said the key to restoring normality in society was to stamp out violence. He brushed aside suggestions that Chief Executive Carrie Lam could heal the social divide by addressing some of the demands of the protesters.

An associate professor of law at Beihang University, Tian Feilong, said demonstrators should think twice before trying to threaten Beijing to give in to their demands by paralysing Hong Kong's economy.

Tian said their action could hurt not just China but the entire global economy.

"To hijack Hong Kong's financial status to ask the central government to compromise is ridiculous," he said.

"Hong Kong's status is not critical not only to China's financial but also to the global financial infrastructure, free trade, financial prosperity... If anything goes wrong in Hong Kong, European, American stock markets and their financial security will be damaged."

Director of Hong Kong and Macau Studies at the Shanghai Institute of International Studies, Zhang Jian, said Beijing is fully justified to liken the attacks on two mainlanders at the Hong Kong airport on Tuesday to terrorism.

Acts of violence and intimidation that threaten national security and attack people for political purpose is termed as terrorism, he said.