Lo Man-tuen writes that President Xi Jinping has already laid down the bottom line on separatism and threats to national security, and they will not be tolerated

Nobody is allowed to touch or cross the bottom line drawn by central government authorities - sovereignty and national security - and university students are no exception. Hong Kong people enjoy many individual freedoms, such as that of expression, but it does not cover advocating "Hong Kong independence" or separatism-secessionism, because such advocacy violates the Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. And universities are no sanctuary for Basic Law violators. The central government authorities care about the younger generation of the country but that does not mean university students can advocate "Hong Kong independence" without consequence. The central government never goes easy on separatist forces, which won't end well if they underestimate Beijing's determination and resolve to crush separatism at all costs.

Hong Kong must effectively stop the spread of "pro-independence" advocacy on campuses and prevent separatist forces from turning universities and schools into their bases and boot camps - ensuring none of them pose any threat to national security - or the central government will have to take the matter into its own hands to maintain Hong Kong's constitutional status as an inalienable part of China. Anyone unsure about this needs only to look at the ultimate interpretation of Article 104 of the Basic Law by the National People's Congress Standing Committee on Nov 7 last year, which dealt a heavy blow to separatist forces in the HKSAR. The anti-separatist campaign has entered a new phase since the NPCSC interpretation of Article 104. The central government will not let separatists disrupt Hong Kong's efforts to boost economic development, as President Xi Jinping expects us to. There is nothing more important than economic development and no one can deny it.

Many people have been waiting to see how the central government responds to the sudden flare of separatist propaganda on local campuses since the back-to-school day but they should recall instead Xi's speech at the ceremony on July 1 marking the 20th anniversary of the HKSAR and inauguration of the Fifth-Term HKSAR Government. It is the president's most important speech on everything one needs to know in terms of State policies and strategies concerning Hong Kong. And there is no better guidance than that speech to understand how the central government authorities assess the situation in Hong Kong and its universities in particular.

Xi laid down the above-mentioned bottom line in his July 1 speech in Hong Kong in great detail. He emphasized that the "one country, two systems" principle was put forward primarily to realize and maintain national reunification, which is why China made it absolutely clear at the start of bilateral talks with the United Kingdom in the 1980s that there is no room for discussion over China's sovereignty. We must work even harder to protect our sovereignty, national security and development interests after resuming sovereign rule over Hong Kong. Xi's words indicate achieving and maintaining national reunification is the original intent and lifeline of "one country, two systems". If the HKSAR fails to do its part in maintaining national reunification, "one country, two systems" would be pointless and worthless; failure to safeguard national reunification will end "one country, two systems" in Hong Kong.

The president's speech has in fact spelled out and explained to Hong Kong society that firstly no one, regardless of who they are, is allowed to pursue "Hong Kong independence" or jeopardize national reunification; secondly Hong Kong residents do not have the freedom to advocate "Hong Kong independence" or engage in separatist activities because these violate the Basic Law, which means university students are no exception and thirdly the central government stands firmly against all forms of separatism and will never compromise on matters concerning sovereignty and national security, meaning the few separatist goons openly challenging the Basic Law on university campuses will be decisively dealt with one way or another.

Hong Kong's future depends on the younger generation, which is why the central government attaches great importance to all things concerning young people. Xi mentioned youth issues multiple times in his July 1 speech and called on the whole nation to care about, support and help young people achieve healthy development in addition to patriotic education. That said, people should not expect the central government authorities to tolerate the few "pro-independence" activists spreading separatism on local campuses, students or not. Beijing is well aware of the fact that those separatists do not represent university students in general, who can be rest assured that the central government's resolve to defeat "Hong Kong independence" will never waver.

As far as the central government is concerned, university managements in Hong Kong are obligated to oppose any "pro-independence" activity on their campuses when it happens, and take necessary measures to stop it. On the other hand, "Hong Kong independence" advocacy in universities is not just a matter of school administration, because it poses a serious threat to "one country, two systems" and Hong Kong's long-term prosperity and stability. All members of Hong Kong society should fully understand there is no "middle path" in this matter of absolute principle and support the SAR government in fulfilling its constitutional duty without hesitation to help realize national reunification by all means necessary.

(HK Edition 09/22/2017 page1)