BEIJING, Nov. 15 (Xinhua) -- China on Friday urged the British side to immediately start a thorough investigation into the flagrant assault on a senior official of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government, bring the offenders to justice and ensure the safety and dignity of Chinese personnel in Britain.
According to reports, Teresa Cheng Yeuk-wah, secretary for justice of the HKSAR government, was besieged and attacked by masked people in London Thursday. She was pushed to the ground and sustained injury.
"We express strong indignation and unequivocally condemn the attack," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang said when asked to comment on the situation.
Geng said the Chinese Embassy in Britain immediately dispatched personnel to the scene to deal with the situation and provide assistance and asked the British side to immediately provide security protection for Cheng. Chinese Ambassador Liu Xiaoming will also visit Cheng at the hospital.
"Facts have proved that those anti-China rioters who creat chaos in Hong Kong are a group of violent lawbreakers. Their actions have broken the bottom line of law and civilization. Such flagrant assault on the senior official of the Hong Kong SAR government must be stopped and severely punished," Geng said, adding that if the perpetrators are allowed to run amok, not only will Hong Kong's prosperity and stability be seriously undermined, the international community, including the United Kingdom, will also suffer serious disturbances and havoc.
"This appalling attack on the senior official of the Hong Kong SAR government took place in the United Kingdom, which is directly related to the fact that some British dignitaries have for some time been blindly confusing right and wrong on Hong Kong-related issues, openly and covertly trying to justify violent and illegal acts and standing up for perpetrators," Geng noted.
"Britain will be a victim of its mistake, if it continues pour oil on the flames on the Hong Kong issue," he said.
"We urge the British side to be cautious in its words and deeds on the Hong Kong issue, stop sending wrong signals, meddling in Hong Kong affairs and interfering in China's internal affairs," Geng added.
"Ending violence and restoring order is the paramount task in Hong Kong," Geng said, adding that the central government of China firmly supports the SAR government in administering Hong Kong according to law, firmly supports the Hong Kong police in enforcing the law and firmly supports the Hong Kong judicial organ in bringing criminal offenders to justice in accordance with law.