Chinese celebration fuels Hong Kong protests

A police officer shot a teenager at near point-blank range, and at least 50 other people sustained injuries in protests on Tuesday in Hong Kong. The number of pro-democracy protesters hurt in clashes with police continues to rise as China celebrated 70 years of Communist Party rule. Protesters vandalized Chinese businesses and held up banners that read, “End dictatorial rule.” Hong Kong transitioned from British to Chinese rule in 1997.

How is China celebrating the day? In Beijing, a military parade showed off the country’s most advanced weapons, including the Dongfeng-41 missile with a 9,400-mile range. “No force can shake the status of our great motherland, and no force can stop the progress of the Chinese people and the Chinese nation,” Chinese President Xi Jinping said in a nationally televised address. President Donald Trump tweeted his well-wishes to Xi without referencing the unrest in Hong Kong: “Congratulations to President Xi and the Chinese people on the 70th Anniversary of the People’s Republic of China!”

Dig deeper: WORLD Magazine correspondent June Cheng is on the scene in Hong Kong. Follow her on Twitter for updates.