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Chinese premier: confident of Hong Kong stability

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, right, and the Prime Minister of China, Li Keqiang, left, talk during a contract signing ceremony as part of a meeting of the German and Chinese government at the chancellery in Berlin, Germany, Friday, Oct. 10, 2014. Economic ties between Germany and China are the focus of the high-level meeting between the two countries' governments. (AP Photo/Michael Sohn) German Chancellor Angela Merkel, right, and the Prime Minister of China, Li Keqiang, left, talk during a contract signing ceremony as part of a meeting of the German and Chinese government at the chancellery in Berlin, Germany, Friday, Oct. 10, 2014. Economic ties between Germany and China are the focus of the high-level meeting between the two countries' governments. (AP Photo/Michael Sohn)

By Associated Press October 10, 2014 1 min read

BERLIN (AP) – Chinese Premier Li Keqiang says he’s confident that “social stability” can be preserved in Hong Kong and is stressing that Beijing won’t change its “one country, two systems” approach to running the territory.

Li met German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin on Friday as protesters arrived for a pro-democracy rally in Hong Kong – reviving a civil disobedience movement.

Li said that preserving the “long-term prosperity and stability” of Hong Kong is not just in China’s interest but in that of the former British colony’s residents. Speaking through an interpreter, he said the territory’s government will protect inhabitants from “injury or material damage.”

Merkel said she hopes demonstrations remain peaceful.