Hong Kong part of China no matter what happens in district council elections, says Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi

Tokyo: Hong Kong is a part of China “no matter what happens”, Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi said Monday, with the crisis-hit city’s pro-democracy looking set for a crushing victory in community-level elections at the weekend.

The results of Sunday’s elections in the semi-autonomous city have sent the Beijing-backed government a clear message of public support for the demands of a protest movement that has gripped the territory for months.

Counting was still underway following record turnout, but partial results indicated that candidates favouring greater democracy were on course to seize a shock majority of the normally establishment-dominated 18 district councils.

“It’s not the final result yet. Let’s wait for the final result, OK? However, it is clear that no matter what happens, Hong Kong is a part of China and a special administrative region of China,” Wang told reporters after he met with Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe in Tokyo.

“Any attempt to mess up Hong Kong, or even damage its prosperity and stability, will not succeed.” Hong Kong has been rocked by months of pro-democracy protests over concerns that Beijing is chipping away at the financial hub’s special rights, which are unheard of in the mainland, including freedom of speech and an independent judiciary.