HK protests a disturbing trend

For the first time after the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, one of the country's top leaders has taken a clear stand on universal suffrage and the "Occupy Central" movement in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. At a high-level meeting with media executives from Hong Kong on Friday, Vice-President Li Yuanchao said the central government strongly opposes the movement because it is illegal.

Since the implementation of the Individual Visit Scheme in 2003, there has been a rapid increase in the number of Chinese mainland residents visiting Hong Kong, which has created some social problems. For example, Hong Kong's downtown area, which is already overpopulated, has been overwhelmed with mainland tourists leading to a shortage of some daily necessities. Many Hong Kongers blame mainland tourists' panic buying for this.

Moreover, with Putonghua being spoken more widely in the region, many Hong Kong residents have become wary of (and in some cases hostile toward) mainland tourists and the IVS. The "Occupy Central" movement can be seen as an outcome of this hostility. And last week some "Occupy Central" activitists even made a public plea for a "true suffrage".