Beijing confident Carrie Lam can restore order to Hong Kong, Chinese ambassador to Britain says

Unrest in city has ‘escalated to a dangerous level’, but leader has central government’s ‘full trust’, envoy Liu Xiaoming says

Chief executive’s decision to introduce ban on wearing masks shows she is still ‘in control’, he says

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China’s ambassador to Britain Liu Xiaoming says Beijing has every confidence in Carrie Lam’s ability to restore order to Hong Kong. Photo: Handout

Published: 7:00pm, 5 Oct 2019Updated: 7:00pm, 5 Oct 2019

Beijing has full confidence in Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam Yuet-ngor’s ability to restore order to the troubled city, China’s ambassador to Britain told the BBC on Friday night.

Speaking in an interview on the Newsnight programme, Liu Xiaoming said the Chinese government fully supported Lam’s decision to introduce a ban on the wearing of masks during public assemblies, as a pro-democracy protest in the city nears the end of its fourth month.

On Saturday, Lam appealed to the public to condemn the latest acts of violence in the city and for citizens to disassociate themselves from the protesters, saying the chaos they unleashed after she announced the ban on Friday evening was proof of why it was necessary.

“I think the special administrative region government decided to introduce the ban because the situation has escalated to a dangerous level,” Liu said in the television interview.

“We respect Carrie Lam and her administration. We understand her decision and we show our support for her decision. We have full trust in her administration.”

The ambassador was speaking as protesters – still wearing their masks – wreaked havoc across the city on Friday night and into the early hours of Saturday, vandalising and setting fire to subway stations, as well as shops regarded as having links to the Chinese mainland.

The subway operator subsequently closed the entire network and the lines remained closed as of Saturday evening.

Liu said that it was too early to say if the mask ban would be effective in bringing about a return to order in Hong Kong, but said Beijing had every confidence that Lam and her government remained in control.