BEIJING - Radical protesters in Hong Kong
must not mistake China's restraint for weakness, China's Hong
Kong affairs office said on Tuesday, vowing that the "violent
criminals" pushing the city toward a "dangerous abyss" would be
brought to justice.
Hong Kong has suffered weeks of sometimes violent protests
that began with opposition to a now-suspended extradition law,
which would have allowed suspects to be tried in mainland
courts.
But the protests have swelled into a broader backlash
against the government of the Asian financial hub and its
political masters in Beijing.
"I would like to warn all of the criminals: don't ever
misjudge the situation and mistake our restraint for weakness,"
the Chinese government's Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office said
in a document issued during a briefing in Beijing.
A small group of violent radicals were at the forefront of
the protests, with "some kind-hearted citizens who have been
misguided and coerced to join," according to the document
attributed to two officials, Yang Guang and Xu Luying.
It said anti-China forces were the "behind-the-scenes
masterminds" who had "openly and brazenly emboldened" the
protesters.
"We would like to make clear to the very small group of
unscrupulous and violent criminals and the dirty forces behind
them: those who play with fire will perish by it," the office
said.
"At the end of the day, they will eventually be punished."
China has been quick to label U.S. officials as "black
hands" instigating unrest in Hong Kong in an attempt to contain
China's development, but it has not provided any concrete
evidence.
A bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers on Friday urged the
Trump Administration to suspend future sales of munitions and
crowd-control equipment to Hong Kong police, which have been
accused of using excessive force.
Police on Monday fired tear gas at protesters in the former
British colony after a general strike hit transport and the
city's Beijing-backed leader, chief executive Carrie Lam, warned
its prosperity was at risk.
The protests surpassed earlier shows of dissent in scale and
intensity, seemingly stoked Lam's refusal once again to meet any
of the protesters' demands, including for her resignation and
independent inquiries into police use of force.
The protests are the greatest political threat to Hong
Kong's government since the territory returned to Chinese rule
in 1997, and one of the biggest popular challenges to Chinese
leader Xi Jinping since he came to power in 2012.
'CIVILISED POWER'
China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) in Hong Kong has
remained in barracks since protests started in April, leaving
Hong Kong's police force to deal with the massive
demonstrations.
Last week, the PLA garrison there issued a video showing
"anti-riot" exercises, and its top brass warned violence is
"absolutely impermissible".
Diplomats and foreign security analysts are watching the
situation closely, but believe there's little appetite in
Beijing for the PLA to be deployed on the streets of Hong Kong.
So far, the central government and the PLA have said only
that there are clear provisions in law covering the prospect of
the force's intervention in the city.
During the briefing, Yang called the PLA "a strong force
that defends every inch of its sacred territory", and said the
central government would not allow any "turbulence" beyond the
control of the Hong Kong government to threaten national unity
or security.
"The PLA is a force of power but also a civilized power,"
Yang said.
"As long as it has the strong support of the central
government and the Chinese people, the Hong Kong government and
police "are fully capable of punishing those criminal activities
and restoring public order and stability", he said.