China has accused protesters who vandalised Hong Kong’s parliament on Monday of “serious illegal actions” that “trample on the rule of law”.
A group of activists occupied the Legislative Council (LegCo) building for several hours after breaking away from a peaceful protest.
Hundreds of police used tear gas to disperse demonstrators.
The Chinese government urged the city to investigate the “criminal responsibility of violent offenders”.
Hong Kong, a former British colony, is part of China but run under a “one country, two systems” arrangement that guarantees it a level of autonomy. Its citizens enjoy rights not seen on the mainland.
Monday’s disorder followed weeks of mass protests over a controversial extradition bill, which critics have said could be used to send political dissidents from Hong Kong to the mainland.
The Chinese government said the ransacking of parliament was a blatant challenge to the “one country, two systems” formula.
So far, Beijing has reacted to the protests from a distance, but Monday’s violence could be a catalyst for Beijing to push for tighter control over Hong Kong, says BBC World Service Asia-Pacific editor Celia Hatton.
Hong Kong’s leader Carrie Lam earlier made similar remarks, condemning the “extreme use of violence” by the protesters who had broken into LegCo.
