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

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.

“I think the situation is still under control,” he said. “If she lost control, how could she introduce this ban?”

The protests in Hong Kong, sparked by opposition to the planned introduction of an extradition bill that would have allowed the transfer of criminal suspects to the mainland, have been going on for 18 weeks.

Although Lam later withdrew the controversial bill, public anger continued to grow and the protesters demanded the government launch an independent inquiry into the police’s use of force to break up peaceful demonstrations and rallies. They are also now calling for the government to retract its use of the word “rioters” to describe the participants in the disputes, and for it to provide an amnesty for those already arrested and universal suffrage in future polls to elect members of the city’s government – known as the Legislative Council – and its chief executive.

Liu said he felt the situation in the city was improving.

“If you compare the situation now with the situation a few months ago, things improved somewhat after Carrie Lam withdrew the bill,” he said.

“I believe the face mask ban will help to improve the situation and I hope the majority of Hong Kong people will respond to the efforts made by the special administrative region.”

Mask ban has precedent in France, but not Europe as a whole

The ambassador did not comment on reports that the mainland had increased the number of troops it has stationed in Hong Kong, but said Beijing would step in if the unrest continued.

“We certainly hope the situation will improve, but we have to prepare for the worst,” he said. “If the situation became uncontrollable, we certainly would not sit on our hands and watch.”

Liu also defended the actions of the police officer who fired a live round into the chest of 18-year-old schoolboy Tsang Chi-kin during a fight on Tuesday.

“The reason why the police [officer] shot was because his life was in serious danger,” he said, adding that armed police officers in Britain were trained to shoot to neutralise threats to themselves and the public.