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Chinese Foreign Ministry slams Moscow protests as Western interference in Russia’s affairs

China characterized the measures taken by the Russian government as legal

Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Geng Shuang AP Photo/Andy Wong

Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Geng Shuang

© AP Photo/Andy Wong

BEIJING, August 20. /TASS/. Some Western countries’ position and actions in relation to anti-government protests in Moscow may be considered as interference in Russia’s domestic affairs, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Geng Shuang said at a briefing on Tuesday.

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"We support the position of Russia’s authorities," he said. "It is an example of interference in Russia’s domestic politics, which points to [the West’s] hegemonic claims," the Chinese diplomat pointed out.

According to Geng Shuang, the measures that the Russian government has taken to improve the situation in Moscow are totally legal. "It is alarming that in this situation, certain Western countries spring out of nowhere and take malign actions," he emphasized.

The August 10 rally was the fourth one conducted in support of independent candidates barred from running for the Moscow City Council. The previous rallies were held on July 20 and 27, as well as on August 3. Only the first one of them had been authorized by the Moscow Mayor’s Office.

According to Moscow police, about 600 people were detained in Moscow for participating in the August 3 unauthorized rally. On July 27, over 1,000 protesters were detained. Ahead of the rallies, authorities issued warnings saying that violations of law would lead to liability. The Russian Investigative Committee opened a riots case following the rallies. As many as 13 people have been arrested under the case.

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