German Chancellor Angela Merkel renewed calls for a peaceful solution to unrest in Hong Kong on Saturday during her trip to China.
Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam on Friday said measures announced this week to help restore order in the Chinese-ruled city are a first step and disagreed with a credit downgrade by rating agency Fitch after months of sometimes violent protests.
Hong Kong braced for more mass protests over the weekend, even as China warned it could use its power to quell demonstrations and US President Donald Trump urged his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, to meet with the protesters to defuse weeks of tensions.
Chinese state media called on Beijing on Wednesday to deal with protests in Hong Kong more decisively after a reporter from one of China’s largest government-backed newspapers was caught up in overnight clashes.
As some train and bus services resumed, tens of thousands of demonstrators fanned out across several districts, where protests again degenerated into running clashes with riot police.
SABC © 2019
