Donald Trump says he spoke ‘briefly’ about Hong Kong protests with Xi Jinping during G20

Donald Trump says ‘most people want democracy’, after revealing that he spoke about protests in Hong Kong with Xi Jinping

‘Hong Kong’s success is predicated on its rule of law and respect for fundamental freedoms,’ a State Department spokesperson said, urging an end to violence

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Demonstrators smash windows of the Legislative Council Complex in Tamar on Monday during a protest against the extradition bill. Photo: Sam Tsang

Published: 5:50am, 2 Jul 2019Updated: 11:31am, 2 Jul 2019

US President Donald Trump spoke “briefly” with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping about protests in Hong Kong against proposed amendments to the city’s extradition laws, the US leader said on Monday, following a violent night of protests that saw scores of demonstrators break into Hong Kong’s legislative council.

“I’ve rarely seen a protest like that, it’s very sad to see,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office, adding that he hoped the matter “gets solved.”

“I was with President Xi of China [...] and we talked about it briefly,” said Trump, who on Saturday met with Xi on the sidelines of the G20 meetings in Japan for more than an hour.

Trump’s remarks came as the State Department called for calm in Hong Kong after demonstrators forcibly entered the city’s legislative chamber, where they smashed glass doors, spray-painted messages on walls, and pulled down portraits of lawmakers.

The chaotic scenes punctuated a day of demonstrations that saw an estimated 550,000 people take to the streets to mark 22 years since Hong Kong’s handover from British to Chinese rule.