BEIJING – China on Thursday tried to draw parallels between the US Capitol Hill uprising and the pro-democracy unrest in Hong Kong two years ago.
Chinese state media avoided sharing too many opinions about the news, although the state-backed tabloid Global Times showed photos of chaos in both riots and highlighted what it said was a discrepancy in media coverage for both.
In response to the US riots, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying compared the Capitol Hill crowds to the 2019 Hong Kong protests, which saw a large number of storms and vandalism of the Chinese city’s legislative building. .
At the daily press conference, she described the American media’s descriptions of the DC riots as “violence” and “a disgrace” and compared them to remarks made by US President Nancy Pelosi, who once called the protests in Hong Kong “A beautiful sight to see.” “
China’s Foreign Ministry asked “people to reflect on why some people and the US media gave different narratives about the social unrest in Hong Kong in 2019,” the Global Times said in a tweet in English.
The Chinese-language state media downplayed the riots in the US chapter, reporting the news but stopping at significant political commentary.
Four people were killed Wednesday when crowds stormed the US Capitol building in Washington, DC, while angry supporters of President Donald Trump tried to postpone the confirmation of President-elect Joe Biden by Congress.
After hours of delayed proceedings, Congress finally confirmed Biden’s victory early Thursday morning.
On Wednesday, Hong Kong police arrested more than 50 pro-democracy people for their alleged violation of a new national security law, saying they participated in an informal vote last year.
Beijing passed a national security law last year as it tightened control over Hong Kong following widespread protests that became increasingly violent.