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

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.

Hong Kong’s legislature stormed but police take little action

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.

Traditionally an occasion to celebrate the city’s freedoms under the “one country, two systems” framework that went into effect in 1997, this July 1 was underscored by anger about proposed changes to Hong Kong’s extradition laws, known as the Fugitive Offenders Ordinance, that would allow extradition to mainland China.

“We are aware of reports that a group of demonstrators has breached Hong Kong’s legislature to protest against the Fugitive Offenders Ordinance,” a US State Department spokesperson told the South China Morning Post.

“We urge all sides to refrain from violence,” the spokesperson said. “Hong Kong’s success is predicated on its rule of law and respect for fundamental freedoms, including freedoms of expression and peaceful assembly.”

Ahead of Monday’s demonstrations, the US consulate in Hong Kong issued an advisory warning US citizens to avoid the areas where demonstrations were taking place and to “keep a low profile”.

Hong Kong police clear protesters occupying legislature

Hongkongers have conducted several marches against the proposal in recent weeks – for the most part peaceful – with one drawing as many as 2 million people. In the face of the widespread public outrage, the motion to amend Hong Kong’s extradition laws has been suspended, though not officially withdrawn, while city leader Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor has rejected sustained calls from the public and lawmakers to resign over the furore.

The chief executive emerged at 4am on Tuesday morning to denounce the actions of the protesters, who, hours earlier, had been driven from the legislature by riot police who threw tear gas towards the gathered crowds.

Clashes between protesters and police over the course of the day left 54 people with injuries that were treated in hospital, according to the city’s Hospital Authority. Three were in serious condition, eight were stable, while all others had been discharged.

Thirteen officers were also hospitalised, according to the city’s police chief.

Speaking at the early-hours press conference on Tuesday, Lam said, “I hope the community at large will agree with us that with these violent acts that we have seen, it is right for us to condemn it and [we] hope society will return to normal as soon as possible.”

A spokeswoman for the European Union on Monday said that the actions of a minority were “not representative of the vast majority of demonstrators, who have been peaceful throughout successive protests,” and called for “dialogue and consultation to find a way forward”.

While State Department officials in Trump’s administration have spoken of their concern about the proposed legislative amendments’ potential impact on US citizens residing in or visiting Hong Kong, the US leader has previously declined to publicly take a stand in the matter, instead expressing hope that Beijing and Hong Kong would be able to “work it out”.

Yet the US leader appeared on Monday to express some support for the protesters’ general goals.

When asked in the Oval Office what his government’s message was to those in Hong Kong seeking greater democratic freedoms, he said, “Well they’re looking for democracy and I think most people want democracy.”

“Unfortunately some governments don’t want democracy,” he said, without naming countries. “But that’s what its all about. It’s all about democracy, there’s never been anything better.”