Do not ‘play with fire’

Protesters in Hong Kong must not "play with fire" and mistake Beijing's restraint for weakness, China said yesterday in its sharpest rebuke yet of the "criminals" behind demonstrations in the city whom it vowed to bring to justice.

Hong Kong has suffered weeks of sometimes violent protests that began with opposition to a now-suspended extradition law, which would have allowed suspects to be tried in mainland courts.

But the protests have swelled into a broader backlash against the government of the Asian financial hub, fueled by many residents' fear of eroding freedoms under the increasingly tight control of the Communist Party in Beijing.

"I would like to warn all of the criminals: don't ever misjudge the situation and mistake our restraint for weakness," the Chinese government's Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office said in a document issued during a briefing in Beijing.

A small group of violent radicals were at the forefront of the protests, with "some kind-hearted citizens who have been misguided and coerced to join," according to the document attributed to two officials, Yang Guang and Xu Luying.

It said anti-China forces were the "behind-the-scenes masterminds" who had "openly and brazenly emboldened" the protesters.

China has been quick to label US officials as "black hands" instigating unrest in Hong Kong in an attempt to contain China's development, but it has not provided any concrete evidence.

The protests are the greatest political threat to Hong Kong's government since the territory returned to Chinese rule in 1997, and one of the biggest popular challenges to Chinese leader Xi Jinping since he came to power in 2012.