Chen Zuo'er, former deputy director of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council, warned recently against a rise in support for "Hong Kong independence." Because of his warning, panelists on the radio program City Forum debated "Hong Kong independence" on Sunday. Growing infuriated, the two sides spat and hurled bottles at one another.

Those who know a bit about Hong Kong will believe that the argument of "Hong Kong independence" is totally false. No matter whether from a political, economic or military perspective, there is no possibility of seeing an independence movement in Hong Kong.

Even activists say their goal is to have more autonomy from the central government. "Hong Kong independence" is just a slogan.

Because of different political systems, Hong Kong's system can be easily used to express extreme political purposes. This is unavoidable and we should not take methods to prevent these expressions.

"Hong Kong independence," under Hong Kong's current economic and political conditions, is a groundless argument.

The policy of "one country, two systems" sets Hong Kong apart. The reason why the scale of the demonstrations is much larger than during the British Hong Kong era is that the Chinese mainland treats them with far more attention than the British government did. Protesters want to secure their interests through confrontation.

Generally speaking, the Chinese mainland should step back from Hong Kong's internal politics. Preferential policies should be moderated. We can help Hong Kong at crucial moments but Hong Kong cannot be allowed to become too dependent on the Chinese mainland.

This is in accordance with the long-term interests of strengthening Hong Kong. There is absolutely no possibility for Hong Kong to separate itself from China. Therefore, we should have full confidence in facing Hong Kong's future.

Because of the decline of a sense of superiority caused by the mainland's rapid development, a small number of Hong Kongers instigate feelings of hostility. However, Hong Kong did not see better social achievements under the British than it has today. What they really yearn for is the gap between Hong Kong and that Chinese mainland that existed back then. Well, time will surely quell those feelings.

Patriotism has a strong foundation in Hong Kong. This will be further reinforced by China's continuous rise. When faced with the advocacy of "Hong Kong independence," we can take it easy.