China media: 'Harmonious environment' absent for Hong Kong talks

Mainland media are urging people in Hong Kong to "boycott" Occupy Central, while accusing the West of playing an "instigating" role.

Hundreds of Occupy Central campaigners and students have remained on the streets of Hong Kong as a government deadline for them to leave passed without incident.

They are angry at China's plans to vet candidates when Hong Kong holds elections in 2017.

Several papers have given front-page coverage to the protest on Monday.

Most of the papers have reprinted a Xinhua report, noting that some protesters in Hong Kong are starting to withdraw from the streets.

Describing the street movement as "peaceful", the China Daily notes that the "cracks have widened among protesters" and that there is a "lack of leadership".

State-run media outlets have been highlighting that "more people in Hong Kong are supporting the anti-Occupy Central movement", also known as the Blue Ribbon campaign.

According to a report in the state-run Xinhua News Agency, more than a thousand taxi drivers in Hong Kong are protesting against the Occupy Central campaign.

An article in the news agency's website reminds Hong Kong residents that a "harmonious environment" is important for the society to prosper.

The commentary calls for "all the people to create an anti-Occupy Central atmosphere in the society" to ensure that the activists have "reservations in pushing their campaign forward".

"Only when everyone boycotts Occupy Central, and unites to support the legal process of the 2017 election, Hong Kong society will return to its harmonious and stable situation. Only then, the Hong Kong economy can hope to progress," it says.

Providing "live updates" on the protest, the Global Times' Chinese edition states that people in Hong Kong are against the Occupy Central movement.

The website has published excerpts from commentaries from overseas media outlets, warning of economic consequences of the campaign. It has also published photos of people holding placards against the campaigners.

The page, however, makes no mention of the scuffles that reportedly broke out between the opposing camps over the weekend.

Elsewhere, an article in the People's Daily lashes out at the protesters for "seeing themselves as saviours of Hong Kong's future" but "invading the interests of the public and going against the principle of democracy".

Meanwhile, several media outlets are stepping up their criticism of "foreign interference" in Hong Kong.

A communication expert at the Beijing University tells the People's Daily that "foreign political interference" is influencing the campaign.

And finally, media outlets in Hong Kong are discussing the future of the city as the protest shows no signs of ending.

Noting the "foreign influence", a commentary in the Hong Kong-based pro-Beijing China Review News points out the US needs to fully understand China's position on the protest.

The paper adds that Beijing will not change its position on Hong Kong and will continue to support the territory's government.

Cautioning the people in Hong Kong that the "Americans are pragmatic people", the commentary points out that "the US is now hesitant in its support for the Occupy Central".

"If those campaign organisers suddenly soften their approach, it will show that their American masters are giving out a different order," it says.

An editorial in the Ming Pao daily, known to be a paper for the intellectuals, points out that the younger generation in Hong Kong have lost confidence and trust in Beijing's promise of "One Country, Two Systems".

"The questions of how to rebuild the trust and what is the future of Hong Kong-mainland relations must be addressed. If not, the path ahead will be more bumpy and there will be more social opposition movements arising in the future," warns the paper.

Acknowledging that the street protest has caused inconveniences, the Apple Daily calls for a "real dialogue" between the protesters and Hong Kong's government.

"Just requesting the students and residents to back down is unreasonable as well as alienated from the political reality. If the society leaders really hope to end the situation, they should make use of their influence to persuade Beijing and the Hong Kong government to change their attitude and stop belittling the views of the people," it suggests.

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