An escalation of violence cannot solve social issues in Hong Kong, the leader of the Chinese-ruled city, Carrie Lam, said on Tuesday, adding that she deeply regretted interference by foreign parliaments in the Asian financial hub\u2019s matters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Lam was speaking after another weekend of sometimes violent clashes in the former British colony, with police firing tear gas to disperse protesters in cat-and-mouse skirmishes, at times smashing windows and starting street fires.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Chinese officials have accused foreign forces of trying to hurt Beijing by creating chaos in Hong Kong, and warned other nations against interfering in what they called an internal affair.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On Monday, former U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said the anti-government protests were \u201cnot an internal\u201d Chinese matter and the United States should offer at least moral support to the demonstrators.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt\u2019s extremely inappropriate for foreign parliaments to interfere in HKSAR internal affairs in any way, and will not allow to become a stakeholder in HKSAR matters,\u201d Lam said, referring to Hong Kong\u2019s status as a special administrative region of China.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The protesters wanted the U.S. Congress to pass legislation that would require Washington to make an annual assessment of whether Hong Kong is sufficiently autonomous from mainland China to retain special U.S. trade and economic benefits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After three months of unrest, Lam last week withdrew a controversial extradition bill that had triggered the protests, but the gesture failed to appease many demonstrators, who are using the popularity of the movement to revive old grievances.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Anger over the now-shelved extradition bill has triggered public opposition to Beijing that had dwindled after 2014, when authorities faced down a pro-democracy movement that occupied streets for 79 days in the central business district.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cEscalation and continuation of violence cannot solve the issues faced by our society now,\u201d Lam told a news conference on Tuesday. \u201cIt will only deepen the conflict, contradiction, splits, and even hatred in society.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Many initially peaceful protests in the past three months have degenerated into encounters between baton-wielding riot police and activists, leading to scores of injuries and about 1,300 arrests.The protests, beamed live to the world since June, have prompted some of the city\u2019s powerful tycoons to appeal for calm.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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