This article is more than 1 year old

This article is more than 1 year old

China has issued its most pointed threat yet to pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong, warning that it has “enough solutions and enough power to swiftly quell unrest” should it deem the situation “uncontrollable”.

Speaking to international media in London on Thursday, China’s ambassador to the UK, Liu Xiaoming, also accused some British politicians of harbouring a “colonial mindset” in their interventions.

On Wednesday satellite images showed hundreds of armoured paramilitary police vehicles parked in a stadium in the southern Chinese city of Shenzen, close to the Hong Kong border.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest A satellite image shows military and security vehicles massing in the Shenzhen Bay stadium across the border from Hong Kong. Photograph: EPA

Demonstrations in Hong Kong that began 10 weeks ago in opposition to a proposal to allow extraditions to China have widened into more comprehensive anti-government protests.

The ambassador accused “extremists” of posing as as pro-democracy activists and said Beijing was not prepared “to sit on its hands and watch”.

Quick guide What are the Hong Kong protests about? Show Hide Why are people protesting? The protests were triggered by a controversial bill that would have allowed extraditions to mainland China, where the Communist party controls the courts, but have since evolved into a broader pro-democracy movement. Public anger – fuelled by the aggressive tactics used by the police against demonstrators – has collided with years of frustration over worsening inequality and the cost of living in one of the world's most expensive, densely populated cities. The protest movement was given fresh impetus on 21 July when gangs of men attacked protesters and commuters at a mass transit station – while authorities seemingly did little to intervene. Underlying the movement is a push for full democracy in the city, whose leader is chosen by a committee dominated by a pro-Beijing establishment rather than by direct elections.

Protesters have vowed to keep their movement going until their core demands are met, such as the resignation of the city’s leader, Carrie Lam, an independent inquiry into police tactics, an amnesty for those arrested and a permanent withdrawal of the bill. Lam announced on 4 September that she was withdrawing the bill. Why were people so angry about the extradition bill? Beijing’s influence over Hong Kong has grown in recent years, as activists have been jailed and pro-democracy lawmakers disqualified from running or holding office. Independent booksellers have disappeared from the city, before reappearing in mainland China facing charges. Under the terms of the agreement by which the former British colony was returned to Chinese control in 1997, the semi-autonomous region was meant to maintain a “high degree of autonomy” through an independent judiciary, a free press and an open market economy, a framework known as “one country, two systems”. The extradition bill was seen as an attempt to undermine this and to give Beijing the ability to try pro-democracy activists under the judicial system of the mainland. How have the authorities responded? Beijing has issued increasingly shrill condemnations but has left it to the city's semi-autonomous government to deal with the situation. Meanwhile police have violently clashed directly with protesters, repeatedly firing teargas and rubber bullets. Beijing has ramped up its accusations that foreign countries are “fanning the fire” of unrest in the city. China’s top diplomat Yang Jiechi has ordered the US to “immediately stop interfering in Hong Kong affairs in any form”. Lily Kuo and Verna Yu in Hong Kong

“We hope this will end in an orderly way. In the meantime we are fully prepared for the worst,” he said, warning that the protesters risked dragging the territory into a “dangerous abyss”.

Liu rejected a tweet from Donald Trump calling on Beijing to treat Hong Kong “humanely” in order to reach a trade deal, insisting that China would not “barter” over the territory.

Declining to speculate on what might trigger a Chinese intervention, the ambassador reiterated Beijing’s warnings that it regarded recent incidents of “radical street protest” – including clashes during an occupation of Hong Kong’s airport – as showing signs of “terrorism”.

Play Video 1:20 China's ambassador to UK says Beijing 'will not sit on its hands' over Hong Kong protests – video

Liu’s swipe at UK politicians followed a proposal by the foreign affairs select committee chairman, Tom Tugendhat, to extend UK citizenship rights to Hong Kong Chinese. China took over the former British colony in 1997 under the framework of “one country, two systems”, which protesters fear is being eroded. Recently Beijing told the UK foreign secretary, Dominic Raab, to stop interfering in Hong Kong’s affairs.

“Politicians in this country know their body is in the 21st century but their heads are still in the colonial days,” Liu said. “They are going to have to change their mindset, put them in the proper position and regard Hong Kong as a part of China, not as a part of the UK.”

Referring to the 300,000 UK citizens and thousands of UK businesses in Hong Kong, Liu added: “I sincerely hope that people from all walks of life in the UK will have a clear understanding of a big picture, act in the interests of Hong Kong’s prosperity and stability, and refrain from saying or doing anything that interferes in Hong Kong’s affairs or undermines the rule of law in Hong Kong.”

Quick guide Democracy under fire in Hong Kong since 1997 Show Hide Hong Kong’s democratic struggles since 1997 1 July 1997: Hong Kong, previously a British colony, is returned to China under the framework of “one country, two systems”. The “Basic Law” constitution guarantees to protect, for the next 50 years, the democratic institutions that make Hong Kong distinct from Communist-ruled mainland China. 2003: Hong Kong’s leaders introduce legislation that would forbid acts of treason and subversion against the Chinese government. The bill resembles laws used to charge dissidents on the mainland. An estimated half a million people turn out to protest against the bill. As a result of the backlash, further action on the proposal is halted. 2007: The Basic Law stated that the ultimate aim was for Hong Kong’s voters to achieve a complete democracy, but China decides in 2007 that universal suffrage in elections for the chief executive cannot be implemented until 2017. Some lawmakers are chosen by business and trade groups, while others are elected by vote. In a bid to accelerate a decision on universal suffrage, five lawmakers resign. But this act is followed by the adoption of the Beijing-backed electoral changes, which expand the chief executive’s selection committee and add more seats for lawmakers elected by direct vote. The legislation divides Hong Kong's pro-democracy camp, as some support the reforms while others say they will only delay full democracy while reinforcing a structure that favors Beijing. 2014: The Chinese government introduces a bill allowing Hong Kong residents to vote for their leader in 2017, but with one major caveat: the candidates must be approved by Beijing. Pro-democracy lawmakers are incensed by the bill, which they call an example of “fake universal suffrage” and “fake democracy”. The move triggers a massive protest as crowds occupy some of Hong Kong’s most crowded districts for 70 days. In June 2015, Hong Kong legislators formally reject the bill, and electoral reform stalls. The current chief executive, Carrie Lam, widely seen as the Chinese Communist party’s favoured candidate, is hand-picked in 2017 by a 1,200-person committee dominated by pro-Beijing elites. 2019: Lam pushes amendments to extradition laws that would allow people to be sent to mainland China to face charges. The proposed legislation triggers a huge protest, with organisers putting the turnout at 1 million, and a standoff that forces the legislature to postpone debate on the bills. After weeks of protest, often meeting with violent reprisals from the Hong Kong police, Lam announced that she would withdraw the bill. Photograph: Dale de la Rey/AFP

On Thursday Hong Kong’s government unveiled $2.44bn (£2bn) worth of economic relief measures and downgraded its growth forecasts.

Although framed as a mini-budget amid economic uncertainty, some analysts saw the move as a sweetener aimed at winning over support from moderate Hongkongers.

Police made five arrests on Tuesday night and 17 more on Wednesday during clashes outside police stations in the Sham Shui Po district as flights were suspended by mass demonstrations in Hong Kong airport.

China initially censored all news of the protests but in recent days has taken to denigrating the protesters as criminals being manipulated by the US, Taiwan and other unnamed foreign powers.

The ambassador accused foreign officials of fomenting unrest by meeting protest leaders, suggesting the involvement of “dark hands”.

The Sino-British Joint Declaration signed in 1984 paved the way for Hong Kong’s handover back to China and said the city would enjoy a “high degree of autonomy, except in foreign and defence affairs” and be “vested with executive, legislative and independent judicial power”.

The US national security advisor, John Bolton, warned China against creating a “new” Tiananmen Square in its response to pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong in comments published on Thursday.

“The Chinese have to look very carefully at the steps they take because people in America remember Tiananmen Square, they remember the picture of the man standing in front of the line of tanks,” Bolton said in an interview with VOA News.