China Should 'do The Right Thing' For HK: Pompeo

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said China should "do the right thing" in dealing with protests in Hong Kong, while urging all sides to avoid resorting to violence as the anti-extradition protests stretch into their eighth week.

"The President, I think, captured it right when he said that we need China to do the right thing", Pompeo said in an interview overnight on Thursday with Bloomberg Television. "We hope that they'll do that, we hope that the protests will remain peaceful".

Pompeo's comments followed remarks by Chinese Defence Ministry spokesman Wi Qian, who called the behaviour of some demonstrators "intolerable", and cited a law that says Beijing could deploy troops if asked by the SAR government.

On Wednesday Trump had said he understands Hong Kong protesters who have risen up against plans to allow extraditions to the mainland, but hoped they can "work it out" with Beijing.