China has accused the U.N. high commissioner for human rights of emboldening "radical violence" in Hong Kong by suggesting the city's leader conduct an investigation into reports of excessive use of force by police.
The U.N. commissioner, Michelle Bachelet, wrote in an opinion piece Saturday in the South China Morning Post that Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam's government must prioritize "meaningful, inclusive" dialogue to resolve the crisis.
She urged Lam to hold an "independent and impartial judge-led investigation" into police conduct of protests. It has been one of key demands of pro-democracy demonstrations that have roiled the territory since June.
China's U.N. mission in Geneva says Bachelet's article exerts pressure on the government and will "only embolden the rioters to conduct more severe radical violence."