Radical protests dragging Hong Kong into danger: Mainland spokesperson

The radical protests in Hong Kong, which have continued for nearly two months, have severely impacted the region's prosperity and stability and are pushing it into a "dangerous abyss," a central government spokesperson said Tuesday.

Vehicles drive under flags of China and Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) of the People's Republic of China decorated to mark the 20th anniversary of Hong Kong's return to the motherland in HKSAR on June 25, 2017. [File Photo: IC]

The protests over the past two months have gone beyond the freedom of assembly, demonstration or protest and have escalated into extremely violent acts, said Yang Guang, spokesperson for the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council, at a press conference.

"With upgraded means, escalating intensity and aggravating destructiveness, these acts are shocking," Yang said.

As of now, 461 people have been injured in violent conflicts, including 139 police officers, according to him.

Yang told the press conference that the protests have seriously affected Hong Kong's economy and people's livelihoods, citing that the region's gross domestic product in the second quarter increased by only 0.6 percent in real terms year on year, and 18 countries and regions have issued travel safety reminders against Hong Kong.

A small number of violent radicals are at the front with some kind-hearted citizens misguided and coerced in the middle, but the masterminds behind the scenes are the anti-China forces in and out of Hong Kong which have been trying to mess up Hong Kong, the spokesperson said.

"They have called black white and spared no efforts in playing up fallacies and absurdities such as the so-called 'civil disobedience' and even the fallacious view that 'only violence can solve problems,'" he said.

Yang said they have whitewashed and instigated violence, attempting to drag all Hong Kong residents into political wrangling and intensifying social contradictions.