Central gov't firmly supports HKSAR in punishing crimes endangering national security: spokesman

The Central government firmly supports the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) to punish crimes endangering national security, said Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun at a press briefing in Beijing on Friday.

Guo was responding to a judiciary notice which said that the Hong Kong's High Court will on December 15 hand down a verdict against Jimmy Lai Chee-ying, the mastermind and participant of the anti-China riots in Hong Kong as well as the "agent" and "pawn" of the anti-China forces.

"The fundamental premise of One Country, Two Systems is to safeguard sovereignty, security and development interests of our nation. The Central Government firmly supports the Hong Kong SAR in upholding national security in accordance with the law and bringing criminals who endanger national security to justice," said Guo.

Central gov't firmly supports HKSAR in punishing crimes endangering national security: spokesman

The Palace Museum, also known as the Forbidden City, was blanketed by Beijing's first snow of this winter on Friday, transforming the 600-year-old imperial palace complex into a picturesque winter wonderland and drawing crowds of visitors eager to capture its beauty.

The UNESCO World Heritage site, once the palace of the Ming (1368–1644) and Qing (1644–1911) dynasties, saw its iconic red walls and yellow glazed roofs covered with soft white snow, creating a striking visual contrast.

Braving the cold, many tourists flocked there to record the beautiful scenes with their cameras.

Beijing's Forbidden City blanketed in snow