(From Reuters)
China’s central government firmly supports Hong Kong authorities and police in safeguarding public order and punishing those who break the law, the foreign ministry has said in Beijing’s first reaction to a riot in Hong Kong earlier this week.
Sixty-four people have been arrested in connection with the violence on Monday, the first day of the Lunar New Year holiday. Protesters hurled bricks at police and set fire to rubbish bins in Mong Kok, a tough, working-class neighborhood just across the harbor from the heart of the Asian financial center.
China’s foreign ministry said in a statement late on Thursday that Hong Kong was a society governed by the rule of law.
“The Chinese central government believes and firmly supports the Hong Kong government and the police in safeguarding social security, protecting Hong Kong residents and their property, and punishing illegal and criminal activities in accordance with the law,” the statement said.
The riot was “plotted mainly by a local radical separatist organization,” the statement said. Read More