Beijing Denounces Police Brutality In The US

Beijing said on Monday that unrest in the United States highlights its severe problems of racism and police violence, and exposes Washington's double standards in supporting Hong Kong's protesters.

"Black people's lives are also lives. Their human rights must also be guaranteed," foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian told reporters in Beijing, referring to the death in custody of an unarmed black man in Minneapolis.

"Racism against ethnic minorities in the US is a chronic disease of American society," Zhao added.

"The current situation reflects once more the severity of the problems of racism and police violence in the US."

Chinese diplomats and state media have seized on the violent unrest sparked by the death of George Floyd to accuse the US of hypocrisy and compare American protesters with pro-democracy demonstrators in Hong Kong.

Beijing has long been infuriated by criticism from Western capitals, especially Washington, over its handling of the protests that have shaken Hong Kong for almost a year.

Zhao on Monday said the US government's response to protests at home was a "textbook example of its world-famous double standards."

"Why does the US lionise the so-called Hong Kong independence and black violence elements as heroes and activists, while calling people who protest against racism 'rioters'?" Zhao asked.

Foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying also took aim at Washington.

"I can't breathe," she said on Twitter, with a screenshot of a tweet by US State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus that had criticised China's policy in Hong Kong.

Hua was quoting the words Floyd was heard saying repeatedly before his death - after a police officer knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes. (AFP)