China's ruling Communist Party on Friday said that Hong Kong's youth should "look north" for economic opportunities in mainland China instead of pinning their hopes on western countries.
The commentary by the Central Political and Legal Affairs Commission published on WeChat represents a recent shift in the ruling party's propaganda efforts regarding the Hong Kong protests by highlighting socio-economic factors such as the lack of affordable housing in the city as the root cause of its problems, South China Morning Post reported.
The article also added that while the anger and frustration of young people were understandable, their emotions were being used by others and would not solve their problems.
"It is not easy to be a young person in this international metropolis. They face fierce competition and a heavy homework burden. After they get into university they have to shoulder big loans and even after they graduate ... [they still face] difficulties finding a job, low salaries, high property prices and an uncertain future," the Commission in the commentary said.
Urging people to look beyond the city's boundaries for opportunities, it added: "If Hong Kong's young people want a way out, they should widen their horizons and not lock themselves in the local environment of 'Hong Kong people' and the 'Cantonese-speaking' circle. They should look north."
The article titled 'How to save Hong Kong part 2: Can the young people in Hong Kong find a way out for their future?' further said, "Those who call on people to take to the streets, can they solve the problems of Hong Kong employment, salaries and housing? Have they shown their willingness to solve these problems? What these people have are the empty words of democracy and freedom, they are making the angry angrier and the problems more difficult to solve."
It also stressed that Western countries were neither able nor willing to solve the problems of the people of Hong Kong.
"The places 'helped' by Western countries to usher in 'democracy and freedom' are all in trouble. Western countries can't even solve their domestic problems ... it is a fantasy to ask them to help people thousands of miles away," the article added.
The commission also said that the demonstrators in the city were aggravating the city's economic problems by damaging public property and causing a downturn in the catering, retail and hotel sectors.
The commentary came a day after the commission published a similar article criticising Hong Kong tycoon Li Ka-shing for condoning crime after he had urged those in power to provide a way out for the young demonstrators, describing them as the "masters of our future".
( With inputs from ANI )