China warns HK unrest goes ‘far beyond’ peaceful protest

Bloomberg

China said violent protests in Hong Kong wouldn’t be tolerated, its most high-profile response to unrest rocking the city after a chaotic weekend of unrest illustrated the government’s struggles in quelling a leaderless, unpredictable and widespread movement.
The Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office, which answers to China’s cabinet, reaffirmed its support for the city’s government and police in a rare briefing in Beijing. Office spokesman Yang Guang said the country remained committed to the “one country, two systems” that had ensured the former British colony’s autonomy since its return in 1997.
Weekend protests showed the movement sustaining momentum for a protracted fight against leader Carrie Lam and her supporters in Beijing, raising questions about whether they can make any more
concessions to deflate it and whether China would send in its military to restore order.
“What has happened in Hong Kong recently has gone far beyond the scope of peaceful march and demonstration, undermined Hong Kong’s prosperity and stability, and touched on the bottom line of the principle of ‘one country, two systems’,” Yang said. “No civilised society under the rule of law would ever allow acts of violence to take place.”
China’s comments appeared to indicate that there would be no imminent change to its tactics in the Asian financial hub, and Hong Kong’s stocks pared their losses.
On Monday, an edition of the Communist Party’s flagship newspaper had used stronger language, urging Hong Kong’s police to take stern action to quell ongoing unrest in the city. “At a time like this, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Government and the police should not hesitate or have any unnecessary ‘psychological worries’ about taking necessary steps” to restore order, said the piece published in the overseas edition of the People’s Daily newspaper.
Chinese President Xi Jinping has so far maintained backing for Lam in part to avoid setting a precedent in which popular protests initiate political change, and officials at the briefing doubled down on that support.
As the city returned to normal, the American Chamber of Commerce’s Hong Kong chapter urged government action to address grievances underlying the protests, saying steps must be taken to restore sagging confidence and calling for the withdrawal of extradition legislation that first sparked demonstrations.
Police fired rubber bullets and clouds of tear gas at protesters in the normally buzzing downtown area of Sai Ying Pun, which also hosts the Chinese government’s main office in Hong Kong. Protesters vandalised the building last week, drawing stern warnings from Beijing.
At least 49 people were arrested after bricks, glass bottles and paint bombs were hurled at police and traffic signs were removed.
The violence followed a day of clashes between demonstrators and police in Yuen Long, near the mainland border.
“Even Carrie Lam’s resignation and universal suffrage aren’t going to resolve the crisis in Hong Kong,” said Oscar Cheung, an office worker in his twenties. “The truth is China is having a tighter and tighter grip on Hong Kong and our rights.”