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THE US HAS expressed concerns over Chinese security force movements on the border with Hong Kong and urged Beijing to honour the territory’s autonomy as pro-democracy protests continued.
A State Department spokesperson voiced concerns about the “continued erosion” of Hong Kong’s autonomy and expressed “staunch” support for freedom of expression and peaceful assembly in the territory.
This comes after satellite photos show what appear to be armoured personnel carriers and other vehicles belonging to China’s paramilitary People’s Armed Police parked in a sports complex in the city of Shenzhen.
The pictures collected on Monday by Maxar’s WorldView show 500 or more vehicles sitting on and around the soccer stadium at the Shenzhen Bay Sports Center just across the harbor from the Asian financial hub that has been rocked by more than two months of near-daily street demonstrations.
Chinese state media have said only that the Shenzhen exercises had been planned beforehand and were not directly related to the unrest in Hong Kong, although they came shortly after the central government in Beijing said the protests were beginning to show the “sprouts of terrorism”.
Senior members of US Congress declared their backing for the protestors, blaming Beijing for a violent crackdown by the Hong Kong government.
“The United States is deeply concerned by reports of Chinese paramilitary movement along the Hong Kong border,” the spokesperson, who would not be named, told AFP in a statement.
“The United States strongly urges Beijing to adhere to its commitments in the Sino-British Joint Declaration to allow Hong Kong to exercise a high degree of autonomy.”
Inciting ‘chaos’
Top legislators, who normally have access to internal US government intelligence, were more directly critical of the Hong Kong government and Beijing.
“Images of Beijing-backed forces brutalizing civilians speak for themselves,” tweeted Mitch McConnell, the powerful Republicans Senate majority leader.
“Millions of Hong Kongers protesting the Chinese Communist Party’s encroachment know the truth about exactly who is responsible for ‘inciting’ chaos. The rest of the world knows too,” he said.
Nancy Pelosi the Democratic speaker of the House of Representatives, called the use of force “perpetrated against” the demonstrators “extremely alarming”.
“The pro-Beijing Chief Executive and the Hong Kong police forces must immediately cease the aggression and abuse being perpetrated against their own people,” she said in a statement.
Beijing has been apparently reluctant to send in police or army units from the mainland or to mobilize the People’s Liberation Army garrison in Hong Kong to quell the unrest.
It’s seen as mindful of the devastating effect that would have both on the territory’s reputation as a safe and stable place to invest in, and as indication of the Communist Party’s failure to win over the hearts and minds of the city’s 7.3 million residents, 22 years after the former British colony was handed over to China.
‘Legitimate concerns’
The State Department spokesperson said the protests, which forced the partial closure of Hong Kong’s international airport yesterday, reflect Hong Kong citizens’ “broad and legitimate concerns” over the loss of autonomy, which was agreed in the deal between London and Beijing over returning the former British colony to China in 1997.
“We condemn violence and urge all sides to exercise restraint, but remain staunch in our support for freedom of expression and freedom of peaceful assembly in Hong Kong,” the US official said.
The official also denied Chinese state-run media reports that the United States was stirring up the demonstrations behind the scene.
“We categorically reject the false charge of foreign forces as the black hand behind the protests,” the official said.
Trump’s mixed messages
Trump, who is locked in a tense showdown with Beijing over trade relations, has taken a milder approach to the Hong Kong protests, drawing criticism from US China experts and legislators.
He called the situation “very tricky,” adding: “I hope it works out for everybody including China. I hope it works out peacefully, nobody gets hurt, nobody gets killed.”
Senator Chris Murphy, a Democrat, said Trump’s silence was “devastating” to the protestors’ cause.
Pelosi today called on Trump to “walk away” from his statements, which she said “invite miscalculation”.
“If America does not speak out for human rights in China because of commercial interests, we lose all moral authority to speak out elsewhere,” she said.
Includes reporting by Associated Press and © – AFP 2019
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Does praying for a parking spot count ‘_’
I don’t see what talking to myself will achieve
@Kieran Fitzgerald: could be self soothing maybe?
@Joe Kennedy: More self deluding than anything else
@Brendan Gordon: depends what you’re saying I assume Brendie?!
Yer man Enoch gonna burst a blood vessel at this one
@JMcB: Excellent!! Lol
Silently I often pray for my manager to go away!!!!
From a previous article this morn g who do you pray to now?
He, Them, they, Those?
Only on a plane when there’s turbulence
Not to any particular deity, but sometimes kind of mantras in my own head to try to visualise/manifest things into happening.
That would be an ecumenical matter.
Would you ever grow up!!
If praying worked all the hospitals would close down tomorrow
Enough with this clerical nonsense that comes from a bunch of hysterical “virgins”
@Liam Ó hAodha: exactly.
Like Saint Anthony prayers, the patron saint of looking again and harder is all that is.
@Liam Ó hAodha: religion brings solace to a lot of people in tough times, i have seen it first hand in my own job. Just because you don’t share their belief doesn’t make it right to belittle them or tell them to grow up. Sure the actions of the heirarchy of the catholic church are totally reprehensible on many issues, but it isn’t the fault of the everyday person that may find praying a comfort to them in times if adversity.
@A$AP ETH: Well said
@A$AP ETH: Very true
Every dam day !!!
Yes I do pray, furthermore, what’s all the fuss about looking for a gender neutral word. Why even consider one, the world has gone mad when even the clergy want God to be gender neutral. I would have considered that the words God or Lord being prayed to by the countless religions worldwide of which some regard them as female deities was enough to satisfy those gender confused clerics. Political gender correctness insanity.
O Good Jaysis, help us !
What about the Non Created Creator God creating Adan and Eve ???
What pronouns will the woke mafia try and force on us for those two?
Am a member of the Anglican church and if they go ahead with this utter nonsense I’m out… gone! Sick of it.
I am praying that Ireland beat the French football team (Mbappé and all) in March. How else are we going to succeed ?
have your say