China trolls US over its handling of mass protests

Officials and state media note hypocrisy of US authorities who criticise Beijing's response to protests in Hong Kong

Protesters clash with police outside the White House in Washington, DC, on May 31, 2020. PHOTO: AFP
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"I can't breathe", tweeted Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hua Chunying last Saturday in a rebuttal to her US counterpart Morgan Ortagus' criticism of impending national security laws in Hong Kong.

The snarky tweet was a reference to the last words of Mr George Floyd - an African-American who died last Monday in Minneapolis after a white police officer pressed a knee into his neck for over eight minutes.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on June 02, 2020, with the headline China trolls US over its handling of mass protests. Subscribe