The Hong Kong Garrison of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) holds a drill in waters near Hong Kong, June 26, 2019. (Photo: 81.cn)

China mocked on Wednesday the US claim of Chinese military activities near Hong Kong as the Foreign Ministry demanded the White House contribute to peace rather than violence in the special administrative region of China.

Citing an anonymous US senior administration official, a report by Bloomberg claimed the White House was monitoring Chinese military movements on the Hong Kong border.

In response to the report, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said she was not aware of the situation.

But "if the White House really cares about peace in Hong Kong, it should tell the extremists who protested violently to express their demands in a peaceful way, not through violence," Hua said.

In a rare comment on the Hong Kong situation, Chen Daoxiang, commander of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Garrison in Hong Kong, on Wednesday condemned violent incidents in the city, which he said have touched the bottom line of the "one country, two systems" principle and are absolutely intolerable, Hong Kong Economic Journal reported. 

Chen made the remarks during a speech of a reception on celebrating the 92nd anniversary of the founding of the PLA.

Media have been discussing if the PLA will be deployed to take over Hong Kong.

Maria Tam Wai-chu, a member of the Committee for the Basic Law, said Wednesday in a television program that she believes the regional government will not request PLA action as the police is capable, Hong Kong-based news website takungpao.com reported on Wednesday.

The Chinese military has been paying close attention to the developments in Hong Kong, especially after riots in which radical forces besieged the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), Wu Qian, spokesperson of China's Ministry of National Defense, told a media briefing on July 24.

Responding to a question on how to deal with Hong Kong secessionist forces, Wu cited the Law of the People's Republic of China on the Garrisoning of the HKSAR, which stipulates that the HKSAR government could request the central government to allow the PLA garrison in Hong Kong to maintain social order and disaster relief when necessary.

Global Times