American democracy group slams Beijing’s claim it is ‘black hand’ behind Hong Kong protests, as National Democratic Institute head calls it ‘patently false’
- National Democratic Institute head says suggestions that it is promoting Hong Kong independence are false and amount to misinformation
- Claims are ‘misinformation’ and don’t recognise ‘organic activity stemming from genuine grievances’, says NDI’s president
Derek Mitchell, president of the National Democratic Institute (NDI), a US Congress-funded organisation supporting democratic practices, made the rebuttal after Beijing’s top diplomat lashed out at the US over congressional passage of the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act.
“Beijing has claimed that the NDI, among others, has been involved in promoting Hong Kong independence or fomenting revolution or rebellion – the so-called ‘black hand’,” Mitchell said on Tuesday in an address at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Hong Kong.
“Let me say conclusively that’s patently false.”
China has long accused “Western hostile forces” – such as the United States and Britain – of playing a behind-the-scenes role in instigating protests in Hong Kong as part of a broader effort to undermine Communist Party rule, with the NDI and its partner the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) frequent targets of Beijing’s ire.
