Several countries, including Japan and Ireland, have issued warnings to citizens traveling to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) after violent acts occurred in Yuen Long, Hong Kong's New Territories on Sunday.
"We're highly concerned over this issue," said spokesperson Hua Chunying at the Chinese Foreign Ministry's regular briefing on Wednesday. She once again expressed strong opposition to any violent behavior in the HKSAR and firmly defended the preservation of the Hong Kong legal system and social order.
"Hong Kong residents must feel heartbroken," Hua said, calling for all Hong Kong residents with a sense of justice and love for Hong Kong to unite and make the "Pearl of the Orient" shine again. This is what every Hong Kong resident wishes, Hua said.
She also criticized former British Governor of Hong Kong Chris Patten over his remarks on the Hong Kong situation, saying that he was deliberately avoiding commenting on the violent acts of protesters.
"Chris Patten was selectively blind to the violence of the protesters storming the Liaison Office of the Central Government and Hong Kong's legislature building," she said. "We are strongly opposed to foreign countries' interference in Hong Kong affairs."
