Chinese state media is already using Capitol riots in its anti-U.S. narrative – By Grady McGregor and Naomi Xu Elegant (Fortune) / January 7 2021
Our mission to make business better is fueled by readers like you. To enjoy unlimited access to our journalism, subscribe today.
Hundreds of supporters of President Donald Trump on Wednesday laid siege to the U.S. Capitol building to protest Congress’s certification of November’s presidential election. The astonishing scenes of violent rioters overtaking police to occupy the Capitol’s hallowed halls rocked the globe, with world leaders expressing alarm at how lawlessness had engulfed the seat of American democracy.
“Disgraceful scenes in U.S. Congress,” said U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson. “The United States stands for democracy around the world and it is now vital that there should be a peaceful and orderly transfer of power.”
In China, the central government did not issue a formal statement regarding the Capitol Hill events, but reporters asked Hua Chunying, a spokesperson for China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, about the riot at a daily press briefing on Thursday. She said the incident should spark “deep reflection” among U.S. lawmakers regarding how they discuss the pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong, suggesting that the U.S. is hypocritical in denouncing Beijing’s crackdown in the city while it struggles with its own unrest at home.
CONTINUE > https://fortune.com/2021/01/07/us-capitol-riot-china-state-media/