Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs has slammed Western criticism of the way Hong Kong police are dealing with the protests. A spokesperson for the ministry said no other police force in the world has ever shown the same level of restraint in the face of such brutal violence.

"It's an out-and-out lie! Have you ever heard of any rioters dying because of any violent abuse? What we see is that the lives of Hong Kong residents are under a huge threat because of the wild violence by the rioters," said Hua Chunying, the ministry's spokesperson.