A Xinhua spokesperson expressed the news agency's "strong indignation with and condemnation of" the rioters' violent acts, which showed that "stopping violence, curbing chaos and restoring order" are the most important and urgent tasks for the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.

The spokesperson urged Hong Kong police to vigorously investigate the incident.

The Hong Kong Federation of Journalists, representing some 1,000 journalists, lashed out at the targeting of Xinhua News Agency.

The vandalism amounted to an act of serious provocation of the State media agency and a wanton violation of freedom of the press in Hong Kong, the federation said.

On Sunday, the All-China Journalists Association said in a statement that the vandalism at the Xinhua bureau was a gross act of trampling on press freedom and a serious provocation to democracy and the rule of law.

The association said it will safeguard the rights and interests of news organizations and journalists, and it urged the city to punish the perpetrators of illegal acts in accordance with the law, so as to create a fair, just, free and democratic environment for the press.