US slammed for meddling in Hong Kong

Foreign Ministry urges country to clarify to world any role in ongoing protests

China's Foreign Ministry on Tuesday blasted the United States for meddling in Hong Kong's recent protests against the now-suspended extradition bill.

Hua Chunying, spokeswoman of the ministry, made the remarks after the US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo earlier said at an event at the Economic Club of Washington DC, that Hong Kong protests are "appropriate" and are common in the US.

Pompeo said he hoped China can "do the right thing" and respect the agreements that are in place with respect to Hong Kong.

In a daily press conference in Beijing, Hua said that protests in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region have seen radical protesters attacking the police with metal poles and other lethal weapons.

Maybe the US could "import" such violent protests and show the world how its democracy would handle them, Hua said.

Since February, many US politicians have openly commented on Hong Kong affairs, or met with the city's opposition politicians multiple times, Hua said. These include US Vice-President Mike Pence, Pompeo and National Security Advisor John Bolton.

Hua noted that media footage showed some "American faces", and even the US national flag, during the SAR's recent protests. Questioning whether the US had any role in the ongoing chaos in the HKSAR, she urged it to clarify that to the world. The US should stop "playing with fire", Hua said.

She said the US must clearly understand that the HKSAR is part of China, and we have reiterated several times that the Chinese government won't allow any foreign interference in Hong Kong's internal affairs.

Hua's remarks came ahead of the two-day ministerial-level trade talks between the two countries, which began on Tuesday in Shanghai.

In Hong Kong, the chaos continued. Rail commuters expressed anger and frustration as they struggled to reach their offices on Tuesday as the metro services remained paralyzed for four hours.

The chaos was part of the campaign launched by those protesting against the now-suspended extradition bill. It saw radical protesters clashing with the riot police in the Yuen Long area, and western and central parts of Hong Kong Island to vent their ire over the bill.

The protesters prevented trains from leaving the station platforms on four busy metro lines: the Kwun Tong Line, the Island Line, the Tseung Kwan O Line and the Tsuen Wan Line.

"It was annoying," said Janice Huang, a commuter who lives in Tseung Kwan O, but works in Sheung Wan in Hong Kong Island. It took her nearly two and a half hours to reach her workplace as against 40 minutes earlier. "What if someone has important work to do?" she said.

According to the subway operator MTR Corp, protesters halted a train at the Tiu Keng Leng station for more than one hour. The emergency brakes installed on trains and platforms of affected metro lines were pressed multiple times from around 7.30 am to around 11.20 am.

People should adopt rational and peaceful ways to express their views, rather than resorting to means that cause public nuisance, Hong Kong's Secretary for Transport and Housing Frank Chan Fan said on Tuesday.

The Hong Kong police announced on Tuesday night that it had pressed charges against 45 people arrested during the anti-government demonstrations on Sunday.

Forty-four of them will be charged for rioting. Among them, a 33-year-old man was charged with assaulting a police officer. Separately, a 24-year-old man was charged with the possession of offensive weapons.

All of them will appear in the Eastern Magistrates' Court on Wednesday.

On Sunday night, the police had arrested 49 people. Of these, two were released on bail pending further investigation, while two others were temporarily released.