Beijing again gives ‘unflagging support’ to Carrie Lam, warns Hong Kong is entering ‘most dangerous phase’
- Communist Party mouthpiece calls on city to put a stop to violent and continued social unrest as ‘no place can survive such turmoil’
- Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office will brief media on Tuesday, and ‘something new’ will be announced, according to a source
Beijing has reiterated its “unflagging support” for embattled Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor and warned that the city was entering “a most dangerous phase” with rampant violence on the streets.
Hong Kong must put a stop to the violent and continued social unrest in the city as “no place can survive such turmoil”, said a commentary to be published on Tuesday in Communist Party mouthpiece People’s Daily.
Read out on state broadcaster CCTV on Monday, it said the central government would give “unflagging support” to Hong Kong’s chief executive and her administration to take lawful action to restore order.
The Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office (HKMAO) under the State Council, China’s cabinet, plans to hold a media briefing in the capital on Tuesday afternoon. An official familiar with the matter said “something new” would be announced, but he did not elaborate.
The South China Morning Post will carry live coverage of the press conference from 2.30pm.
It comes after the HKMAO – Beijing’s top office on Hong Kong affairs – last week broke its silence on the escalating unrest in the city, giving its first media briefing since the former British colony returned to China in 1997.