Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi (left) shakes hands with US Secretary of State John Kerry on Wednesday after they addressed the press in the Ben Franklin Room of the State Department in Washington, ahead a bilateral meeting on a wide range of issues. [Photo by Chen Weihua/China Daily]

Related: Chinese FM meets US Secretary of State

WASHINGTON - Hong Kong affairs are China's internal affairs and all countries should respect China's sovereignty, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said here on Wednesday.

Protest disrupts life in Hong Kong, depresses stocks Chinese mainland is Hong Kong's future: the Guardian

Wang said this when he stressed the Chinese government's position on Hong Kong's current situation during his meetings with US leaders at the White House and the State Department.

"This is also a basic principle governing international relations," the Chinese minister said.

The illegal "Occupy Central" movement started off early Sunday morning at the Government Headquarters in Admiralty in downtown Hong Kong, followed by mass protests in Central, Causeway Bay and Mongkok, leading to serious traffic disruptions and school closures.

"I believe for any country, for any society, no one will allow those illegal acts that violate public order," Wang said.

"We believe that the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region's government has the capability to properly handle the current situation in accordance with the law," he added.

Hong Kong Chief Executive C Y Leung Tuesday urged "Occupy Central" organizers to end the protests immediately, saying the movement has been affecting Hong Kong people's daily lives.