BEIJING:China said on Wednesday it supports Hong Kong authorities in the fulfilment of their duties after Hong Kong police arrested 53 people in a swoop on pro-democracy activists.

Hong Kong people's rights and freedoms according to the law are not affected, foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told a regular news briefing.

Hong Kong police said on Wednesday 53 people were arrested in a swoop on pro-democracy activists that involved about 1,000 national security officers, the biggest crackdown yet on the Chinese-ruled city's opposition camp.