China: U.S. officials should 'stop sling mud and stir up troubles'

The Office of the Commissioner of the Chinese Foreign Ministry in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) on Sunday strongly denounced remarks made by U.S. officials on issues related to Hong Kong, urging the U.S. side to "stop sling mud and stir up troubles between the Chinese mainland and HKSAR."

The national flag of China and the regional flag of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region flutter in Hong Kong. [File photo: VCG]

The remarks came after Representative Eliot Engel, Chairman of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs made a statement on Friday, saying that he is "deeply concerned by the reports of police brutality in response to peaceful protests in Hong Kong."

The spokesperson slammed Engel's despicable mindset, stressing that the central government has unswervingly adhered to the principle of "One Country, Two Systems", "Hong Kong people administering Hong Kong" with a high degree of autonomy in the SAR since Hong Kong's return to the motherland.

He urged the U.S. to put aside its "double standards" towards their own country and other countries, "The violent acts are only violent when they take place in their own country, but human rights and freedom problems when they happen in other nations," as the spokesperson pointed out.

The series of violent acts happened in Hong Kong recently, according to the spokesperson, "has breached the public peace and the law deliberately," was a "public defiance of China's national sovereignty."

"This has posed threats to HKSAR's public security and 'One Country, Two Systems' policy and the Hong Kong society shall not accept it," the spokesperson said, claiming that the HKSAR government will strictly deal with it and investigate in accordance with the law, while condemning the statement made by the U.S. side which twisted the truth by calling the acts as "peaceful protests."

The violent acts have seriously disrupted the social order and threatened the safety of Hong Kong residents, he said.

"We again urge the U.S. to stop sending wrong signal to violent acts, stop slandering 'One Country, Two Systems' policy and stop interfering in China's internal affairs," the spokesperson stressed.