As pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong rolled into their 11th consecutive week since the extradition bill crisis began in June, the US President Donald Trump has warned China that executing a Tiananmen Square-style crackdown on the protests in Hong Kong would harm trade talks between the two major economies.
“I think it’d be very hard to deal if they do violence, I mean, if it’s another Tiananmen Square,” Trump said in New Jersey while talking to media. “I think it’s a very hard thing to do if there’s violence.”
The US warning has come at a time when Washington and Beijing are working to revive pivotal talks aimed at ending the trade war that has roiled world markets. According to White House economic advisor Larry Kudlow, the US-China negotiations, which began in January, has been making rapid progress.
China has warned the anti-government protesters of severe action after they have occupped Hong Kong’s airport. They gathered for another massive rally on Sunday despite stark warnings from Beijing. Rallies in support of the movement were held in many countres such as the UK, France, US, Australia and Canada.
The state media has run images of military personnel and armoured personnel carriers across the border in Shenzhen.
During the '1989 Democracy Movement', pro-democracy protesters were subjected to a bloody crackdown in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square on June 4, 1989, resulting in loss of lives of hundreds of students.