HONG KONG – China on Monday harshly criticized a demonstration in which eggs were thrown at its office in Hong Kong and messages spray-painted on the exterior walls. The attack on the liaison office touched a raw nerve in China. “These acts openly challenged the authority of the central government and touched the bottom line of the “one country, two systems” principle,” the government’s Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office said in a statement issued Sunday. The “one-country, two systems” framework allows Hong Kong to maintain a fair amount of autonomy in governing local affairs, but demonstrators fear the city’s rights and freedoms are being eroded. The South China Morning Post reported several people were bleeding following the attacks, and that seven people were sent to the hospital.

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer July 22, 2019 05:26 UTC