China condemns ‘attack’ on Hong Kong minister in London
The Chinese government has condemned what it called an “attack” on Hong Kong’s justice minister after she fell to the ground while surrounded by furious pro-democracy protesters in London last night.
Teresa Cheng, who was in London to promote Hong Kong as a dispute resolution and deal-making hub, was circled by protesters shouting “murder” and “shameful”.
Read more: Two people in critical condition after violence escalates in Hong Kong
Video footage of the incident shows Cheng falling to the ground, but it is not clear from the footage whether she was pushed. She returned to her feet shortly afterwards. The Metropolitan Police (Met) said they were investigating.
The incident marks the first direct altercation between pro-democracy demonstrators and government minister since often-violent protests erupted in the city in June.
The Hong Kong government said in a statement that Cheng had suffered “serious bodily harm” but gave no details.
The Chinese embassy in the UK said she was pushed to the ground, and had sustained a hand injury.
“[Cheng] was besieged and attacked by dozens of anti-China and pro-independence activists,” the embassy said in a statement. The incident showed that the “violent and lawless perpetrators” were now taking their violence abroad, it added.
The embassy said it had lodged a formal complaint with Britain over the incident.
The Met said in a statement: “A woman was taken to hospital by London Ambulance Service suffering an injury to her arm.”
“Enquiries are ongoing to establish the full circumstances. There has been no arrest at this stage.”
Last night’s incident came amid increasing violence in Hong Kong as demonstrators protest what they regard as increasing Chinese interference in the territory, which is governed under the “one country, two systems” framework.
A 70-year-old street cleaner in the city, who videos circulated on social media showed had been hit on the head by a brick thrown by “masked rioters”, died on Thursday, authorities said.
The protests continued to paralyse the city for a fifth day on Friday, blockading major roads and barricading university campuses.
Government data released today confirmed that Hong Kong fell into recession for the first time in a decade in the third quarter as the unrest and escalating US-China trade war weighed on the economy.
The financial hub’s economy shrank by 3.2 per cent between July and September compared to the previous quarter, the data showed. Hong Kong’s GDP contracted for the second consecutive quarter, the technical definition of a recession.
Read more: Asian markets sink further as Hong Kong protests escalate
As unrest in the city continues to escalate, analysts are warning that Hong Kong could face a longer and deeper slump than during the global financial crisis or 2003 SARS epidemic.
“Ending violence and restoring calm are pivotal to the recovery of the economy. The government will continue to closely monitor the situation and introduce measures as necessary to support enterprises and safeguard,” said the government.
Main image credit: Getty