China demanded Thursday that US diplomats based in Hong Kong "stop interfering" in the city's affairs, after reports that they met with pro-democracy activists.
The foreign ministry said it had expressed "strong dissatisfaction" with US authorities, citing local media reports that a US official from Hong Kong's US consulate general had met with a local "independence group".
In a statement Thursday, the ministry urged the diplomatic office to "immediately make a clean break with various anti-China rioters" and "stop interfering in Hong Kong's affairs immediately."
When contacted by AFP for comment, a State Department spokesperson said representatives of the US government "meet regularly with a wide cross section of people across Hong Kong and Macau."
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