Hong Kong ‘would have been obliterated in 14 minutes’ if not for me: Donald Trump

“If it weren’t for me, Hong Kong would have been obliterated in 14 minutes,” Trump said.

The US President also said Xi “has a million soldiers standing outside Hong Kong, are not going only because I asked him. ‘Please don’t do that. You will be making a big mistake. It will have a tremendous negative impact on the trade deal.'”

Beijing has said it is committed to the “one country, two systems” formula under which Hong Kong is governed. It denies meddling in its affairs and accuses foreign governments, including Britain and the United States, of stirring up trouble.

(With inputs from AFP)