China's President Xi says HK violence threatens 'one country, two systems': state media

Recent "violent illegal activities" in Hong Kong have "severely trampled on rule of law and social order" in the semi-autonomous city, China's President Xi Jinping said Thursday, the state-run People's Daily reported.

The violence has "seriously challenged the baseline principle of 'one country two systems,'" Xi said at a summit of BRICS countries in the Brazilian capital of Brasilia.

Pro-democracy protesters choked the city with barricades and rallies for a fourth straight day Thursday, days after police shot a protester with a live round and a man expressing pro-Beijing views was set on fire.