The Chinese government on Monday urged the Hong Kong executive to punish the perpetrators of violence and "restore order as soon as possible" in the aftermath of new protests in the former British colony.
At a press conference in Beijing, an official from the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Bureau - the Chinese body responsible for relations with the country's southern metropolis - said the demonstrations in recent months had "seriously compromise "the prosperity and stability of the territory. "We believe that for the moment, Hong Kong's priority task is to punish violent and illegal actions in accordance with the law, to restore order as quickly as possible and to maintain an environment conducive to business," he said. the spokesman of this Bureau, Xu Luying.
Clashes with the police
On Sunday night, pro-democracy protesters clashed with police in Hong Kong for the second consecutive day, resulting in the most violent scenes ever seen on the territory. The clashes occurred Sunday near the Chinese Liaison Office, which represents Beijing's authority in the semi-autonomous region.
In a statement, police said Monday morning that 49 "radical protesters" had been arrested for various offenses the day before and said the protesters were "increasingly violent".