POMPEO REFUTES CHINESE CLAIMS OF US INVOLVEMENT IN HK PROTESTS AS LUDICROUS

The Chinese Foreign Ministry this week accused the U.S. of influencing pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong; which secretary of state Mike Pompeo called “ludicrous.” En-route to an ASEAN meeting in Thailand, Pompeo said of the Hong Kong protests that it’s always appropriate for a government to listen to its people. The U.S.’s former Consul General to Hong Kong and Macau Kurt Tong also denied China’s “foreign forces” accusation. “No, no, no. The protests in Hong Kong are Hong Kong people protesting, and I think that’s really clear.” He said the recent demonstrations reflect the deeper concerns of the Hong Kong people about losing their autonomy to Beijing through excessive interference despite their “one country, two systems” model.