Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has urged Hong Kong business leaders to support the city government amid the ongoing protests, saying the unrest was the most severe challenge to Hong Kong since the 1997 return to Chinese sovereignty. At a meeting in Beijing of the Hong Kong-based Belt and Road General Chamber of Commerce on Tuesday, Wang said a unified city could help it survive the crisis. “Hong Kong is faced with the most severe situation since the handover,” state-run Xinhua quoted him as saying. “[I] hope everyone can hold up the patriotic flag, unify all walks of life in Hong Kong society, and staunchly support the Hong Kong government in stopping violence, restoring order and implementing laws and regulations. “[You can] believe that Hong Kong can get through the current difficulty and have an even brighter future with firm help from the central government, an active Hong Kong government and a unified Hong Kong community.” The chamber was founded in 2017 by the city’s pro-Beijing businesspeople and is aimed at professionals in Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan who seek to build networks and seek opportunities under the Belt and Road Initiative, President Xi Jinping’s flagship diplomatic and geopolitical drive. Wang’s remarks came as Hong Kong entered the 12th week of protests, triggered by the now-suspended extradition bill which resulted in violent clashes between protesters and police. Central Hong Kong becomes battleground as riot police clash with protesters after third major march against extradition bill and siege of Beijing’s liaison office Beijing has stepped up its rhetoric, especially after the central government’s liaison office in the city was vandalised in July. It said the protests showed “signs of terrorism”, and called on Hong Kong people to support the city government and its police force. Also on Tuesday, Beijing condemned “irresponsible comments” by the G7 leaders, who referred to Hong Kong in a joint statement at the end of their three-day meeting in Biarritz, France. In a statement after their meeting on Monday, the leaders said: “The G7 reaffirms the existence and the importance of the 1984 Sino-British agreement on Hong Kong and calls for avoiding violence.” But China accused the group, which represents Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States, of having “ulterior motives” and of interfering in Hong Kong affairs, after they expressed “deep concern” about the situation in the city. “We will handle our own affairs and we will ask the members of the G7 countries not to harbour evil intentions, mind other people’s business nor continue its sinister plot,” foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said. “No country or organisation has the right to intervene in Hong Kong affairs by making use of the Sino-British Joint Declaration.”