Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said Friday that Chinese people are able to handle their own issues, in what appeared to be the first public response from a top Chinese leader over Hong Kong's monthslong social unrest.
Asked at a news conference about Hong Kong's unending protests against an extradition bill, Li said the Chinese government will staunchly uphold the "one country, two systems" principle and the directives of "Hong Kong people ruling Hong Kong" with a "high degree of autonomy."
"(We) support the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government in stopping violence and chaos and restoring order in accordance with the law, also to protect, maintain Hong Kong's long-term prosperity and stability," he said alongside German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who is on a three-day trip in China.