Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Tuesday urged China's neighboring countries to adopt a fair and objective stance on efforts taken by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government to stop the violence and restore order in the city that has been troubled by protests since June.
Wang made the remarks during a meeting with his Japanese counterpart Taro Kono and South Korean counterpart Kang Kyung-wha in Beijing on Tuesday.
"The situation in Hong Kong has been deteriorating, with the interference of outside powers," he said, stressing that the recent violent acts by some radical protesters had gone too far and challenged the bottom lines of law, morality and the fundamental principle of "One Country, Two Systems."
"Any responsible government and any society ruled by law would not sit by and tolerate this," he reiterated.
Wang said a clutch of protesters who stormed the Legislative Council Complex and hurt multiple police officers earlier had broken the rule of law, while another group that besieged and beat up innocent visitors from the Chinese mainland trampled on the bottom line of morality in the society.
Moreover, waving foreign flags throughout the protest while insulting the national emblem and national flag of China has challenged the bottom line of the "One Country, Two Systems" policy, he said.
"Hong Kong affairs are China's internal affairs. We will never allow any outside forces to interfere," he stressed.
The extreme violence has caused some countries to worry about the security of Hong-Kong based foreign nationals and businesses.
"I understood these concerns," Wang told his Japanese and South Korean counterparts. "I have faith in the HKSAR government's ability to protect their lawful rights in accordance to the law."
Reiterating the central government's unswerving support for Chief Executive Carrie Lam in leading the law-based governance of Hong Kong, Wang also called on neighboring countries to understand and support the HKSAR government's efforts to stop the violence.
