Hong Kong – China said on Wednesday Hong
Kong's protest movement had reached "near terrorism" and more
street clashes followed ugly scenes the previous day when
protesters set upon men they suspected of being government
sympathisers.
The United States said it was deeply concerned at news of
Chinese police forces gathering near the border, urged Hong
Kong's government to respect freedom of speech and issued a
travel advisory urging caution when visiting the city.
By nightfall, police and protesters were again facing off on
the streets, with riot officers shooting tear gas almost
immediately as their response to demonstrators toughens.
Ten weeks of increasingly violent confrontation between
police and protesters have plunged Hong Kong into its worst
crisis since it reverted from British to Chinese rule in 1997.
Flights resumed on Wednesday amid heightened security at
Hong Kong airport, which is one of the world's busiest, after
two days of disruptions sparked by protesters swarming the
airport and, late Tuesday, detaining there two men they
suspected opposed them.
China's Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office in Beijing called
the behaviour at the airport no different to terrorism and said
it must be severely punished.
"We're deeply sorry about what happened yesterday," read a
banner held up by a group of a few dozen demonstrators in the
airport arrivals hall in the morning.
"We were desperate and we made imperfect decisions. Please
accept our apologies," the banner said.
In chaotic scenes that would once have been unthinkable for
Hong Kong, a peaceful sit-in at the airport turned violent late
on Tuesday as protesters confronted and held a man they believed
was an undercover Chinese agent.
Busloads of riot police arrived in response, clashing with
furious demonstrators before withdrawing once the man was
removed, and leaving the terminal briefly in control of
activists who then detained a Chinese reporter for a short time.
It was not clear whether the scenes of violence might have
eroded the broad support the movement has so far attracted in
Hong Kong, a major financial hub. The protests have also hit the
city's faltering economy.
"We promise to reflect and to improve," protesters said in
one message distributed on social media app Telegram.
"Sorry we were too reckless… we are only afraid of losing
your support to the whole movement due to our mistake, and that
you give up on fighting."
They also showed little sign of relenting in their protests,
which began in opposition to a now-suspended bill that would
have allowed the extradition of suspects for trial in mainland
China, but have swelled into wider calls for democracy.
Hundreds attended a demonstration in the residential area of
Sham Shui Po, where police arrived and quickly used tear gas
after protesters pointed lasers at the police station.
China used its strongest language yet after Tuesday's
incidents, when the protesters seized a reporter from China's
Global Times newspaper, a nationalistic tabloid run by the
ruling Communist Party's official People's Daily, and harassed
the man they believed to be a mainland agent.
In addition to Beijing's condemnation, the People's Daily
called for "using the sword of the law" to restore order and
mainland social media users lauded the detained reporter as a
hero.
The US State Department called for restraint and said the
country was deeply concerned at Chinese paramilitary movements
near the border.
"The ongoing demonstrations in Hong Kong reflect the
sentiment of Hong Kongers and their broad and legitimate
concerns about the erosion of Hong Kong's autonomy," a
department spokeswoman said.
Under the "one country-two systems" arrangement, Hong Kong
was guaranteed a high degree of autonomy and human rights after
its handover to China.
Any erosion of the city's autonomy could undermine its
preferential trade treatment by the United States, the
spokeswoman said.
Chinese police have assembled in the neighbouring city of
Shenzhen for what appeared to be exercises, the Global Times
reported this week.
On Tuesday, US President Donald Trump had described the
volatile situation as "tricky" and said China's government had
moved troops near the border with Hong Kong.
China has also denied a request for two US Navy warships
to visit Hong Kong in the coming weeks, US officials said.
Beijing and Washington are already mired in a trade dispute.
France urged Hong Kong authorities to renew dialogue with
protesters to find a peaceful solution.
At Hong Kong airport, which was designed by renowned British
architect Norman Foster, blood, debris and signs of the scuffle
were scrubbed away during the night, and cleaners and protesters
themselves removed anti-government posters from the walls.
Hong Kong carrier Cathay Pacific Airways said a
total of 272 departures and arrivals had been cancelled because
of the disturbances, affecting more than 55 000 passengers.
China's aviation regulator demanded last week that Cathay
suspend personnel supporting protests in Hong Kong from staffing
flights entering its airspace. On Wednesday, the carrier said it
had fired two pilots.
Forward Keys, a flight data firm, said the crisis had driven
a 4.7 percent fall in long-haul bookings to Hong Kong between
June 16 and August 9 compared with the same period last year.
"I think the local events clearly are having a profound
impact, probably in ways that we haven’t necessarily clearly
articulated yet," Charles Li, chief executive of the Hong Kong
Stock Exchange told reporters on Wednesday.
The protesters vowed to press on. "All the people here are very scared," Ann, a 21-year-old
teacher, told Reuters at the airport as she carefully took down
anti-government posters, folding them for re-use.
"But we are more scared that we do not have our freedoms
any more, and so that is why we continue our protests," she said.