MOSCOW, October 10 (RIA Novosti) - Hong Kong actor Jackie Chan has made a post via Chinese microblogging website, Weibo, expressing his concern over the ongoing protests in Hong Kong fearing they would damage the territory's economy, Channel News Asia reported Friday.
"I found out through the news that Hong Kong's economic losses reached HK$350 billion (S$57 billion) and I'm really worried," Chan said in his post released on Thursday.
Chan's post was referring to a number of Hong Kong media reports, which claimed that the protests caused massive economic losses to the territory.
"I believe every Hong Kong resident loves Hong Kong and wishes it well! Hong Kong's bright tomorrow requires everyone's support and hard work. In the song Country, one line goes: 'There is no prosperous home without a strong country.' I am willing to work hard with everyone and return to rationality, to face the future, love our country, love our Hong Kong," Chan also posted online.
Some 16,200 comments have responded to Chan's post so far, some praising the action star while others urging Chan take care of his own issues before making a judgement on Hong Kong. The recent post was the first on Weibo since his August 20 public apology regarding his son Jaycee Chan's detention on drug charges that same month in Beijing.
The Occupy Central with Love and Peace protests began on September 27 with demonstrators calling out the Chinese government for going back on its pledge to allow universal suffrage in Hong Kong. Beijing's announcement that it would control the 2017 election caused protesters to take to crowd the streets. Protesters remain, although numbers have been reduced, amid talks between demonstrators and the government.
The Hong Kong General of Commerce among other major accounting firms and banks have expressed opposition to the protests arguing the demonstrations are not worth the potential economic ruin of the territory.
