China reacted furiously on Monday to anti-government protesters vandalising the walls of its representative's office in Hong Kong and defacing the national emblem, branding their actions "absolutely intolerable".

Thousands of masked pro-democracy demonstrators briefly occupied the road outside the office in the semi-autonomous city Sunday night and targeted the building with eggs, projectiles, laser lights and graffiti in a stark rebuke to Beijing's rule.

Hong Kong has been shaken by massive, sometimes violent, protests initially organised to oppose a now-suspended bill that would have allowed extraditions to mainland China.

They have now morphed into a wider and sometimes violent movement for democratic reforms.

"Actions by some radical demonstrators have affected the bottom line of the 'one country, two systems' principle, and that is absolutely intolerable," foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said in Beijing, referring to the former British colony's special status under the terms of its 1997 handover to China.

Geng said Beijing opposes all acts of violence and "firmly" supports the use of "all necessary measures to safeguard central government agencies in Hong Kong".

Protesters have vowed to sustain pressure until their core demands -- including universal suffrage and the resignation of the city's pro-Beijing leader Carrie Lam -- are met.

So far, Beijing has refused to budge. Officials and state media have accused the protesters of playing into the hands of foreign powers who seek to harm China, and backed the Hong Kong government.

Beyond agreeing to suspend the extradition bill, there have been few other concessions and fears are rising that Beijing's patience is running out.

"These (acts)... have seriously damaged the feelings of all Chinese people including seven million Hong Kong compatriots," Wang Zhimin, China's top envoy to the city, told reporters, calling on authorities to pursue the "rioters".

- 'Silent majority' -

Radical protests have "insulted the country and the nation", Chinese Communist Party mouthpiece People's Daily declared in a front-page article.

"These acts of violence seriously undermined Hong Kong's social order and trampled on the rule of law."

Under the handover deal, China promised to allow Hong Kong to keep key liberties such as its independent judiciary and freedom of speech -- but many say those provisions are already being curtailed.

But Beijing has reacted angrily to other governments and foreign officials expressing solidarity with Hong Kong's pro-democracy movement, warning them against interfering in China's domestic affairs.

The foreign minister of Taiwan -- the self-ruled democratic island that China considers parts of its territory -- called for "genuine" democratic elections in Hong Kong.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng dismissed those comments as "irresponsible".

"These little tricks are doomed to be unsuccessful," he said.

In an editorial, the state-run China Daily said the "violence unleashed by some fanatic elements is not really against the bill to amend the extradition law... (but) to advance their own political agenda".

The newspaper warned that the clashes in Hong Kong go against the views of the "silent majority", who want to "live a peaceful life and strive to achieve their dreams rather than rack their brains over politics".

Taiwan calls for 'genuine' elections in Hong Kong, irking Beijing
Taipei (AFP) July 22, 2019 - Taiwan's foreign minister on Monday called for "genuine" democratic elections to be held in Hong Kong after the city was rocked by fresh political violence, comments that infuriated Beijing.

Hong Kong has been plunged into its worst crisis in recent history by weeks of marches and sporadic violent confrontations between police and pockets of hardcore protesters.

The initial protests were lit by a now-suspended bill that would have allowed extraditions to mainland China.

But they have since evolved into a wider movement calling for democratic reforms, universal suffrage and a halt to sliding freedoms in the semi-autonomous territory.

Police fired tear gas and rubber bullets at protesters on Sunday night, the seventh weekend in a row that the city has witnessed political violence.

Separately masked men wielding sticks beat up anti-government protesters at a subway station, putting dozens in hospital.

In a tweet on Monday Taiwan's foreign minister Joseph Wu said it was time for the city's leaders to grant universal suffrage, a core demand of protesters.

"It's sad to see the rule of law eroding and the divide between the people and the government widening in HongKong," Wu said as he accompanied President Tsai Ing-wen on a stopover in Denver on their way back from a visit to diplomatic allies in the Caribbean.

"The way forward is genuine democratic elections, not violence in the streets & MTR stations. The freedom and human rights of the people must be protected!" he added.

Taiwan is gearing up for a presidential election where a dominant issue will be relations with the mainland -- which sees the self-ruled island as its own territory and has vowed to seize it.

"I just want to remind some people on the island not to make irresponsible remarks about Hong Kong affairs in order to promote their own existence and to attract the world's attention," Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said at a regular press briefing in Beijing.

"These little tricks are doomed to be unsuccessful," Geng said.

Ties with Beijing have deteriorated since Tsai came to power in 2016 because her party refuses to recognise the idea that Taiwan is part of "one China".

Tsai has described the 2020 presidential election as a "fight for freedom and democracy", setting herself up as someone who can defend Taiwan from an increasingly assertive Beijing.

She is facing off against Han Kuo-yu from the opposition KMT party which favours warmer ties with the Chinese mainland.

Last week Tsai's government said it would provide assistance to Hong Kongers seeking sanctuary after local media reported dozens of activists involved in an unprecedented storming of the city's parliament had fled to the island.

Taiwan has been ruled separately from China since the end of a civil war in 1949, but Beijing considers it a part of its territory to be retaken -- by force if necessary.

Beijing has previously indicated that the "one country, two systems" model under which Hong Kong is allowed to keep key liberties could be applied to Taiwan.

But years of sliding freedoms in Hong Kong have done little to endear Taiwan's inhabitants to the idea of Beijing's rule.

Related Links
China News from SinoDaily.com

Tweet

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

Beijing and Canberra trade barbs over detained Australian citizen
Beijing (AFP) July 19, 2019
China and Australia clashed on Friday over the detention of an Australian-Chinese writer who is held in Beijing on national security grounds - the latest source of tension between the two countries. Canberra said it was "deeply disappointed" with the criminal detention of Australian author and democracy advocate Yang Jun, who was detained in January after making a rare return to China from the United States. Beijing hit back and said it "deplores" the remarks made by Australian Foreign Minister ... read more