US President Donald Trump said Thursday he would be taking a hands-off approach towards unrest in Hong Kong as China flexed its military muscle in a sign of growing frustration over weeks of pro-democracy rallies in the former British colony.

The semi-autonomous southern Chinese city has endured two months of protests that began with a government bid to introduce a law that would have allowed extraditions to mainland China.

The demonstrations evolved into a movement for deeper democratic reforms and an end to eroding freedoms, in the most significant challenge to Beijing's rule since the city's handover from Britain in 1997.

Authorities have shown no sign of backing down, and China's military on Wednesday released a propaganda video showing a drill in which armed troops quell a protest in Hong Kong.

The commander of the army's city garrison said he was determined to maintain law and order.

It was the strongest public intervention yet from China's armed forces but, questioned Thursday about the crisis, US President Donald Trump passed up opportunity to support the pro-democracy movement.

"That's between Hong Kong and... China," Trump told reporters at the White House. "They don't need advice."

- Military warning -

The Chinese military video, posted online by the People's Liberation Army's (PLA's) garrison in Hong Kong, shows tanks, helicopters, rocket launchers and heavily armed troops in action across the city.

The three-minute clip also features an "anti-riot" drill in which soldiers with assault rifles, armoured personnel carriers and water cannons disperse protesters.

"All consequences are at your own risk," a soldier yells into a loudspeaker at the start of the drill in Cantonese, the language spoken in Hong Kong rather than the Mandarin of mainland China.

The video was released on the same day dozens of demonstrators appeared in court to face charges of "rioting" over their alleged involvement in a weekend protest.

Chen Daoxiang, the commander of PLA's Hong Kong garrison, spoke of the need to maintain order in rare public comments at a late Wednesday reception.

"We firmly support the action to maintain Hong Kong's rule of law by the people who love the nation and the city, and we are determined to protect the national sovereignty, security, stability and the prosperity of Hong Kong," he said.

Thousands of PLA troops have been based at the Hong Kong garrison since the handover from Britain in 1997, but they generally keep a low profile.

Under the terms of the handover deal, Hong Kong residents enjoy rights and liberties unseen on the mainland, including an independent judiciary and freedom of speech.

But many say those rights are being curtailed.

- Flash demo -

Meanwhile Hong Kong is braced for a civil servants' rally planned for Friday night, pro-democracy demos during the weekend and a city-wide strike on Monday.

Braving heavy rain on Thursday, workers from around 80 banks gathered in the financial district and more than 700 workers posted photos of their staff cards to declare they would also join Monday's action, organisers on the messaging app Telegram said.

Demonstrators said they were angered by alleged cooperation between police and gangsters last month, when a gang of suspected triad members armed with clubs attacked anti-government protesters and bystanders in Yuen Long, a border town near the mainland.

Demonstrators said police reacted too slowly to the incident, and were too lenient with the thugs.

"There is too much evidence that leads to police-triad collusion," KS Wong, who works at HSBC retail banking, told AFP.

More Hong Kong protests planned despite arrests, Chinese warnings
Hong Kong (AFP) Aug 2, 2019 - Pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong geared up Friday for more rallies in defiance of a series of warnings from China and after a prominent independence campaigner was arrested.

The semi-autonomous southern Chinese city has seen two months of unrest that was triggered by opposition to a planned extradition law but quickly evolved into a wider movement for democratic reforms.

Authorities in Hong Kong and Beijing this week signalled a hardening stance, including with the arrests of dozens of protesters, and the Chinese military described the unrest as "intolerable".

But more protests have been scheduled, starting on Friday evening, with members of Hong Kong's usually tight-lipped civil service due to hold a rally despite a government warning that they could be sacked for doing so.

"Any acts to undermine the principle of political neutrality of the civil service are totally unacceptable," the government said late on Thursday.

Medical workers have also called a rally for Friday evening and there are unsanctioned marches planned for Saturday and Sunday, as well as a city-wide strike on Monday.

Previous unsanctioned marches have quickly descended into violent clashes with police.

- Independence activist arrested -

Deepening tensions, police said eight people were arrested Thursday night on charges of possessing offensive weapons and explosives following a raid on an industrial building.

In an update on Friday, police said they found one petrol bomb and some smoke grenades.

A senior police source, who asked not to be named, told AFP that independence activist Andy Chan was among those detained and that a "gasoline bomb" was found on the premises.

Chan's small independence party was outlawed last year on the grounds it posed a national security threat, the first such ban since the former British colony returned to Chinese rule in 1997.

Chan's party contained only a few dozen members, but Beijing sees calls for independence as an absolute red line.

The banning of his party -- and the expulsion of a Financial Times journalist who chaired a talk with Chan at the city's press club before the party was outlawed -- were held up as two examples of eroded freedoms in Hong Kong.

Under the terms of the 1997 handover deal, the city has rights and liberties unseen on the mainland, including an independent judiciary and freedom of speech.

But many say those rights are being curtailed, citing the disappearance into mainland custody of dissident booksellers, the disqualification of prominent politicians and the jailing of pro-democracy protest leaders.

- Surge in violence -

Public anger has been compounded by rising inequality and the perception that the city's distinct language and culture are being threatened by ever-closer integration with the Chinese mainland.

The past two weekends have seen a surge in violence used by both protesters and police, who have repeatedly fired rubber bullets and tear gas to disperse projectile-throwing crowds.

A mob of pro-government thugs also attacked protesters, putting 45 people in hospital.

Hong Kong's police have increasingly adopted tougher tactics, including by this week charging 44 protesters with rioting -- an offence that carries up to 10 years in jail.

Hong Kong chief executive Carrie Lam has made few concessions beyond agreeing to suspend the extradition bill, and she has made few public appearances.

Protesters are demanding her resignation, an independent inquiry into police tactics, an amnesty for those arrested, a permanent withdrawal of the bill and the right to elect their leaders.

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China's military warns HK protesters with slick video
Hong Kong (AFP) Aug 1, 2019
China's military has released a slick propaganda video showing a drill of armed troops quelling a protest in Hong Kong, as its commander for the city voiced determination to maintain law and order following two months of pro-democracy rallies. The double-barrel signals on Wednesday were the strongest public interventions from China's armed forces into the crisis, which has seen masses of people take to the global financial hub's streets to demand more freedoms. The video, posted online by the Pe ... read more