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UPDATE 1-Washington cannot influence China's decisions on Hong Kong- Global Times tabloid

(Adds quotes from editorial)

Aug 19 (Reuters) - The United States cannot influence China's decisions in handling the situation in Hong Kong, China's influential state-controlled tabloid Global Times said http://bit.ly/30fJ7p7 late on Monday.

"Political and public opinion elites in the US must understand that although they have the ability to instigate Hong Kong's radical protesters and make it harder for Hong Kong to restore order, they absolutely cannot influence Beijing's decisions on Hong Kong's situation," it said in an editorial.

The editorial comes with Hong Kong gearing up for further demonstrations this week after organizers said 1.7 million people attended Sunday's protest.

The Global Times said China was hoping Hong Kong's internal forces are able to restore order with the support of the central government, but that "strong intervention" from China will be the only choice if Hong Kong is unable to do so.

It said the ongoing talks between Beijing and Washington to resolve their trade dispute had "already been difficult" for the United States and that it cannot "afford any other burden".

The trade war has resulted in an erosion of the U.S. ability to impose additional pressure on China, the editorial added. (Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Bengaluru Editing by Mark Heinrich)