China warns foreign governments against 'ill-intended meddling' in Hong Kong

The official China Daily wrote in an editorial on Monday that Beijing’s support for Lam will “not waver, not in the face of street violence nor the ill-intentioned interventions of foreign governments.

Hong Kong’s “fugitive rendition arrangements are purely an internal affair,” said the paper, adding that countries such as the United States or Britain should have no say in the matter.

Washington and London have backed a decision by the Hong Kong government to indefinitely suspend legislation that would allow extradition to mainland China.

Lam announced the suspension on Saturday, saying the move was not to pacify protesters but to ensure there would be no more violence and injuries.

Hundreds of thousands of people were protesting against the bill for several days across the city. The protests turned violent and led to the injuries of scores of people and police officers.

The bill suspension, however, has sparked anger among opposition politicians, who argue that Lam needs to apologize or even withdraw the bill. They organized yet another rally on Sunday, with protesters demanding the resignation of Lam.

The mass rally forced Lam to apologize late on Sunday over the extradition bill.

In the meantime, the United States said Lam’s government should take into account the views of her people and international community to pursue changes to extradition laws.

The Chinese paper said that “their sanctimonious posturing is hypocritical, given their bluster is maliciously intended and fans anti-government sentiment in Hong Kong and incites lawlessness.”

China also said it "supports and understands" Lam’s decision as a move to "listen more widely to the views of the community and restore calm to the community as soon as possible."

Hong Kong, a former British colony, was returned to China in 1997, under a "one country, two systems" deal that guarantees it a level of autonomy, including a separate and independent legal system.

On Friday, Beijing summoned Robert Forden, the US Deputy Chief of Mission in Beijing, to protest against Washington’s interference in Hong Kong affairs.

"China called on the United States ... to immediately stop all interference in Hong Kong’s affairs and stop taking action that would affect the prosperity and stability of Hong Kong," the Chinese foreign ministry said.

In another editorial, the Global Times, warned Washington against using Hong Kong as a “bargaining chip” to force compromises in trade talks.

“The riots in Hong Kong will only consolidate Beijing’s tough stance against Washington,” it said.

It was referring to a year-long trade dispute between Beijing and Washington, which according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), could cut the global economic output by 0.5 percent, or about 455 billion dollars, next year.

Protesters end road occupation
Protesters, who according to organizers were some two million, flooded the streets on Sunday and occupied a major highway outside the city's parliament and some nearby streets.

They crowd, which brought traffic to a standstill, had dramatically dropped to just a few hundred who camped out over night along the main road.

Police had spent hours on Monday morning calling on them to clear the leave the road. The group eventually ended their occupation without any confrontation.  They, however, continue their protest in a nearby park.

The government said the headquarters will remain closed during the day.