Beijing said it stood by embattled Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam on Monday, even as it warned that the territory’s protest movement had gone “entirely beyond the scope of peaceful demonstrations” following a weekend of violent clashes between activists and police.
In the first press conference by the Beijing office charged with overseeing Hong Kong since Britain handed the territory back to China in 1997, officials condemned what they called “evil
and criminal acts committed by radical elements” in the protests.
The spokesman for the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office in Beijing, Yang Guang, said China
maintained its “firm support” for Ms Lam and praised the territory’s police force. He called on “people from all walks of life to oppose and resist violence”.
His colleague, spokeswoman Xu Luying, said the Hong Kong government had “conscientiously
reflected” on “inadequacies” in the extradition bill drafting process.
The comments came amid rising signs the political crisis is hitting the territory’s economy, with international business groups calling for the Hong Kong government to offer further concessions to protesters to defuse the tension.
Hong Kong’s mass demonstrations began over an extradition bill that would allow criminal suspects to be sent to mainland China for trial.
The scope of the protests then widened to cover alleged police brutality, violence by suspected
triad gang members, and what is seen as the Hong Kong government’s mishandling of the issue.
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