Chinese analysts have been closely monitoring the Los Angeles unrest, which they said had been exploited by US President Donald Trump for political theatre, jeopardising public safety and stability.
One high-profile commentator also predicted that Trump’s heavy-handed tactics could escalate into a constitutional crisis.
The remarks followed days of protests in Los Angeles over immigration raids, which led to a curfew in some downtown areas of the city aimed at cracking down on vandalism. The comments also came after a breakthrough in US-China trade talks on Tuesday, when the two countries agreed on a framework pending approval from their leaders.
The Los Angeles demonstrations have prompted Trump to mobilise thousands of National Guard troops and the US Marines.
The protests, held in response to a sweeping operation to arrest and deport unauthorised immigrants, have spread to other US cities, including San Francisco, Chicago, Houston and New York.
Shi Yinhong, an international relations professor at Beijing’s Renmin University, said the deployment of troops by Trump made his “despotic nature” much clearer to Americans and added nothing to his domestic prestige.
