Many Chinese citizens on the mainland have apparently provided positive support for the Communist Party's hard-line policy against Hong Kong, further jeopardizing democracy, freedom and human rights in the former British colony.

China announced Monday it has postponed its most important political meetings of the year because of the outbreak of the new virus, a significant step for an authoritarian government that has always kept tight control over its political calendar.

China said Monday it may postpone its annual congress in March, its biggest political meeting of the year, as the military dispatched hundreds more medical workers and extra supplies to the city hit hardest by a 2-month-old virus outbreak.