China Frets As Taiwan Offers Asylum To Pro-Democracy Protestors In Hong Kong, Says Protests Are An Internal Affair

As thousands of people continue to participate in pro-democracy protests going on in Hong Kong, China lashed out at Taiwan for offering political asylum to the protestors, Tribune has reported.

China terms the protestors as ‘militants’ and the Hong Kong police under Chinese-backed administration have cracked down several times on the protestors. Despite the crackdowns, the protests have been going on persistently in the international business hub.

Taiwan’s President had made the asylum offer about the month ago when the protests were beginning to spread. Ma Xiaoguang, spokesman for the Chinese Cabinet’s Taiwan Affairs Office however decried the offer and said that it would “cover up the crimes of a small group of violent militants” and encourage their “audacity in harming Hong Kong” and turn Taiwan into a “heaven for ducking the law.”

Xiaoguang further said that Taiwan should stop interfering in Chinese matters and not “condone criminals.”

China also came down heavily on Canada and said that “the Canadian side should be cautious with its words and deeds.” Canada and the EU had backed the protestors saying that the right of peaceful assembly was part of the Hong Kong basic law.