China criticises US offer of safe haven for Hong Kong residents

Police officers stand guard outside a court in Hong Kong (AP)

Chinese officials has attacked a US offer of temporary refuge for people from Hong Kong as a “vain attempt to stigmatise” the semi-autonomous city and the central government in Beijing.

The statement from China’s foreign ministry office in Hong Kong came hours after US president Joe Biden made the offer in response to Beijing’s increasing moves to tighten its control and crush the pro-democracy opposition.