‘I’M PROUD OF BEING CHINESE’

Hong Kong Kung Fu star Jackie Chan expresses his undivided loyalty to Beijing after being asked about the ongoing unrest in his hometown

By Tracy You

Daily Mail
August 13, 2019

Hong Kong Kung Fu star Jackie Chan has expressed his loyalty to the Communist Party after being asked about the ongoing unrest that has left his hometown in chaos.

One of the most famous celebrities from the Asian financial hub, the 65-year-old celebrity said he was proud of being Chinese and that he loved his motherland.

He also said that the 'recent events in Hong Kong' broke his heart. He urged the public to join him in safeguarding the Chinese sovereignty.

The martial arts expert, known for his pro-Beijing stance, broke silence on the pro-democracy protests during an interview with China's state broadcaster CCTV.

Chan stressed that he supported a patriotic campaign run by CCTV which prompted Chinese citizens to love their national flag.

The actor said he immediately shared CCTV's social media post about the campaign once he saw it.

The initiative, called 'the Five-starred Red Flag has 1.4 billion guards', was launched after ¬a number of protesters threw the Chinese flag into Victoria Harbour during a rally on August 3.

Both the Hong Kong and ¬Macau Affairs Office (HKMAO) and the central government's liaison office in the city strongly condemned the demonstrators' behaviour.

Leung Chun-ying, former leader of the city and the Vice Chairperson of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, said he would offer one million Hong Kong dollars (£105,000) to whomever that could provide leads to help police catch the suspects.

Explaining why he felt so strongly about the cause, Chan said: 'On one hand, [I] needed to express my most basic patriotism as a Hong Kong and Chinese citizen. I am one of the flag guards.

'On the other hand, I hoped to express our collective voice through participating in such a campaign.'

The star continued: 'I have been to a lot of countries in recent years and our country is developing quickly. Wherever I went, I felt proud of being Chinese.'

He concluded: 'Hong Kong is my birthplace and my hometown. China is my home country.

'I love my country. I love my hometown. I truly hope peace can return to Hong Kong as quickly as possible.'

Hong Kong has been rocked by protests over the past months against a now-suspended bill that would allow people to be extradited from the city to stand trial in Communist Party-controlled courts in mainland China.

The mass display of opposition to the bill has morphed into a wider pro-democracy movement that has thrown down the most significant challenge to Beijing's authority since the former British colony returned to Chinese rule in 1997.

The protesters have continued to urge the government to respond to their five demands, including a complete withdrawal of the extradition bill, an independent enquiry into alleged police violence and universal suffrage.

Flights at the city's airport have been disrupted for two days in a row after activists staged demonstrations at the terminal building.

Protesters clashed with police at Hong Kong's international airport on Tuesday evening after flights were disrupted for a second day, plunging the former British colony deeper into turmoil.

Officers armed with pepper spray and swinging batons confronted the protesters who used luggage carts to barricade entrances to the airport terminal.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights urged Hong Kong to exercise restraint and investigate evidence of its forces firing tear gas at protesters in ways banned under international law.

The city leader Carrier Lam reiterated her support for the police Tuesday and said they had had to make on-the-spot decisions under difficult circumstances, using 'the lowest level of force'.

Beijing has also made ominous declarations, branding the anti-extradition bill's activists, in their 10th week of protests, 'mobsters' and likened them to terrorism.