Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has been hailed as a hero in China and slammed in Hongkong.

This was after he gave his most extensive remarks on Hong Kong on Wednesday, Oct. 16.

He said the five demands raised by the Hong Kong protesters were not meant as a constructive way forward to resolve the deep-seated problems arising from the "one country, two systems" arrangement, but intended to "humiliate and bring down" the government.

Same words, different reception

PM Lee's comments have triggered responses on both ends of the spectrum from both mainland China and Hong Kong, with the former perceiving his remarks as wisdom befitting his late father Lee Kuan Yew, and the latter dismissing him as an outsider who does not know the city's situation as well as he thought he did.

Chinese state media Global Times, carrying his comments, highlighted his remark that the protesters' five demands were out to "humiliate" the Hong Kong government, and could do nothing to resolve the problems facing the city.

In addition, it repeated PM Lee's comments that the unrest in Hong Kong does nothing good for Singapore economically.

Unabashedly expressing their agreement with his remarks, Chinese netizens added on to his words with their own criticisms of the protesters in Hong Kong.

"These guys are smiling as if they are laughing at a bunch of idiots."

"I can't help but say, the Lee family and Singapore, who managed to narrowly escape from great power play in the past, could appreciate the unrest in Hong Kong better. The Lee family, on a certain scale, is also worried about the chaos there, as it could happen to Singapore one day. But Singapore will never be able to withstand this much upheavals like Hong Kong did!"

Reply: Singapore is not like Hong Kong, which has a backer and can afford to whine and be rebellious. But Singapore is slightly smarter than Hong Kong.

Reply: The Hong Kong government has the mainland holding the fort. No matter how chaotic it gets, the city wouldn't be destroyed. But the Lee family is different, so many people are coveting their position.

"The five demands: Withdraw (the extradition bill), universal suffrage, stop classifying protesters as rioters, stop going after who's responsible, investigate police brutality. Such gangster demands, these are the five demands of the centralists and liars.

Reply: None of the five demands has anything got to do with livelihood issues, that's why these people are all good-for-nothings!

Reply: And some smart arses still say they aren't pushing for separatism, they're really so foolish and evil."

"Old Lee has gotten better."

"An honest state leader, Singapore's pride."

Hongkongers triggered

Unsurprisingly, PM Lee's comments generated a ton of responses in Hong Kong, which were vastly different from the ones made by the Chinese.

Many Hongkongers, who support the movement, felt offended at his comments that came across as being condescending and dismissive towards the protesters' demands, and did not hold back with their words:

李顯龍你爹說：
我一生最大的功績就是成功地阻止了共產主義在馬來亞和新加坡奪權。否則，現在的新加坡就會是像越南，朝鮮和柬埔寨那樣貧窮，而不會有今天的和平繁榮。新加坡人的主要是福建人和廣東人的後裔，祖先都不識字，很貧窮。新加坡成功的關鍵，是英國人留下的法治制度，而不是什麼儒家文化。 pic.twitter.com/kXBqEpMiz9

— 遛战友俱乐部 (@1O2h_lStdP2lZp) October 17, 2019

"This wastrel is still so proud even after causing Singapore to become a Chinese Communist Party-controlled dictatorship."

https://twitter.com/Robin42908400/status/1184603833348968449

"Singapore's Lee Hsien Loong, as a Beijing stooge, dares to speak out, utterly disgusting."

"It's time for Singapore to wake up and chase away the Lee descendent! This Lee's father might have accomplished a lot, but it doesn't mean their family should own Singapore for all generations!"

"Lee's comments have angered the Hongkongers."

Many forum users on Reddit felt the same as well, expressing their thoughts regarding Singapore's perceived leanings towards the central government in Beijing, rather than the Hong Kong protesters themselves.

Singapore watching Hong Kong closely

Previously, PM Lee said on Tuesday, Oct. 15, that while Singapore's situation is quite different from Hong Kong, the country should still study what is happening there, and ask itself if such "deep social angst" and "social division" could befall the city-state.

Should that happens, "confidence in Singapore would be destroyed", and the country will be "finished", he warned.

This is why Singapore is watching Hong Kong with "concern", he added, even as he said Singapore can only thrive when Hong Kong is prospering and when the region is stable.

Background

Protests in Hong Kong have lasted well into its 19th straight week, with protesters becoming increasingly violent as they grow visibly more frustrated at the government's inaction towards their demands, as well as their perceived lack of compassion for protesters who allegedly suffered grievous injuries at the hands of the riot police.

While Hongkongers first took to the streets in June to protest against the passing of a now-abandoned extradition bill that would see case-by-case extraditions of suspected criminals to mainland China, the movement later morphed into a broader call for greater democratic rights which protesters say are guaranteed under the "high degree of autonomy" the Basic Law supposedly provides for.

Top image via Prime Minister's Office 

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