In one of the strongest reactions yet, China has condemned the violent protests in Hong Kong as horrendous incidents being instigated by radicals.
The rare public remarks by the government office that deals with the affairs of Hong Kong and Macau also said the protests had crossed a red line on the principle of one country, two systems and that this will not be tolerated.
Beijing has backed Hong Kongs leader, Carrie Lam, and the police force to swiftly punish what it labeled as violent crimes and restore stability to Hong Kong.