Washington, Oct 2 (IANS/EFE): US President Barrack Obama has told Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi that his government supports free elections in Hong Kong and has expressed his desire to see a peaceful solution to the protests roiling the territory.

"The US has consistently supported the open system that is essential to Hong Kong's stability and prosperity," said a White House statement after Obama's meeting with Wang Yi Wednesday.

The Chinese minister earlier warned, before a meeting with US Secretary of State John Kerry, that the pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong were an "internal matter" and argued that no country "would tolerate illegal activities that disrupt public order".

Kerry insisted that the US supported the demands of the protesters who want universal suffrage in free elections in 2017.

"We believe that an open society with the highest possible degree of autonomy and governed by the rule of law is essential for Hong Kong's stability and prosperity," said White House spokesperson Josh Earnest.

Hong Kong, which came under Chinese control in 1997 after more than 150 years of British rule, enjoys considerable autonomy, though its chief executive has been elected, until now, by an electoral committee of 1,200 members.