MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

China “regrets” Capitol take over and recalls no deaths when rioters stormed the Hong Kong legislature

Months of anti-government protests in Hong Kong in 2019 included the July 1 storming of the city's legislature, in a campaign for democratic reforms that Beijing ultimately quashed

China compared on Thursday the storming of the U.S. Capitol by supporters of President Donald Trump with last year's often-violent pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong, but noted that no one had died when demonstrators took over the Parliament of Hong Kong.

Clips of the chaotic scenes from Washington aired repeatedly on Chinese state television.

Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told a daily briefing said that while events in Hong Kong in 2019, when the city's legislature was stormed, were more “severe” than those in Washington, “not one demonstrator died”.

Relations between Beijing and Washington are at their worst in decades over a range of disputes, including China's heavy clampdown on Hong Kong, and Chinese diplomats and state media often draw attention to news of violence or chaos in the United States.

Months of anti-government protests in Hong Kong in 2019 included the July 1 storming of the city's legislature, in a campaign for democratic reforms that Beijing ultimately quashed with new national security legislation. One man died after falling from a parking lot during one protest in the city.

Police in Washington said four people died and 52 were arrested after Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday in an attempt to stop Congress from certifying President-elect Joe Biden's election victory.

“We also wish that U.S. people can enjoy peace, stability and security as soon as possible,” Hua said.

A comment with thousands of favorable votes on China’s Twitter-like Weibo said the Washington protests were “over 90%” the same as those in Hong Kong. European leaders were showing “double standards” in condemning one but not the other, it said.

“The response and words used by some in the U.S. to what happened in Hong Kong in 2019 were completely different to what they used for today's ongoing events in the U.S.,” Hua said.

Around the world, leaders expressed shock and concern, condemning the attempted subversion of democracy. “What happened today in Washington DC is not American, definitely,” French President Emmanuel Macron said in a video message on Twitter.

With information from Reuters.