By Reuters-

The Chinese foreign ministry’s commissioner in Hong Kong said on Tuesday the city belongs to China and that it will firmly respond to any action that harms China’s sovereignty.

The foreign ministry’s commissioner, responding to comments by U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi, said U.S. politicians should immediately stop colluding with separatists in the city.

Hong Kong has been hit by weeks of sometimes violent protests that began with opposition to a now-suspended extradition law that would have allowed suspects to be tried in mainland courts. The protests have grown into a broader backlash against the city’s government and its political masters in Beijing.