China reacts furiously to “terrorist like” actions of Hong Kong protesters

China’s Hong Kong Liaison office said on Wednesday that anti-government protesters were no different to “terrorists”.

This was China’s reaction to attacks on its citizens by pro-democracy protesters during the second day of mass disruptions at Hong Kong's airport that turned violent.

The rallies, which had paralysed one of the world's busiest travel hubs, ended with ugly clashes on Tuesday night that included protesters beating two men.

"We express the strongest condemnation of these terrorist-like actions," said Xu Luying, a spokeswoman at the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs of the State Council, who called the two men who were beaten "mainland China compatriots."

It was the second time this week that China had sought to frame the protests as

"terrorism", part of a pattern of increasingly ominous warnings that have raised fears it may deploy force to quell the unrest.

Police condemned violent acts by protesters overnight and said a large group had “harassed and assaulted a visitor and a journalist”. Some protesters said they believed one of those men was an undercover Chinese agent, while another was confirmed as a reporter from China’s Global Times newspaper.

Five people were detained in the latest disturbances, police said, bringing the number of those arrested since the protests began in June to more than 600.

US President Donald Trump added to fears Beijing may stage a military intervention to end the unrest, saying on Tuesday his intelligence had confirmed Chinese troop movements toward the Hong Kong border.

"I hope it works out for everybody including China. I hope it works out peacefully, nobody gets hurt, nobody gets killed," Trump said.

Under a 1997 deal that saw Hong Kong return to China from British colonial rule, the city is meant to have far greater liberties than those allowed on the mainland.

The protesters, who are demanding that China's rulers stop interfering in the city, have enjoyed widespread support throughout most sectors of Hong Kong's society.