No need to politicize HK students' ability to read in Simplified Chinese

THE DELIBERATIONS OF the Hong Kong education authorities on Chinese courses recently came to an end, and the document has aroused debates in Hong Kong because it mentioned students becoming able to recognize characters in Simplified Chinese after having mastered Traditional Chinese, as the former is mainly used in the Chinese mainland. Do not politicize the issue, says an article in the Global Times Chinese edition on Tuesday:

It should be emphasized that the Hong Kong education authorities advise students to be able to read Simplified Chinese. Teachers and parents have the right to decide whether the advice is practical, but it is unnecessary to protest as if Simplified Chinese characters will "replace" Traditional Chinese ones in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.

It is even more absurd to treat the suggestion as a sign the Hong Kong education authorities are simply being obedient to Beijing.