Jackie Chan opens up about the “sad and depressing” protests in his motherland, Hong Kong. ‘The Foreigner’ star is a beloved figure in Hollywood and in China for his action-packed international and local films.

The actor and martial artist recently shared his sentiments in an interview with the South China Morning Post. Chan reportedly described the recent protests “and depressing” and said he hopes that peace would soon come to Hong Kong.

“I have visited many countries, and I can say, our country has been rapidly developing in recent years,” he tells the Chinese news outlet. Chan says he is proud of his Chinese roots saying that “‘Five-starred Red Flag’ is respected everywhere around the world.”

The known Beijing loyalist also shared “that safety, stability, and peace are just like fresh air, you never know how precious it is until you lose it.”

Protests in Hong Kong began in June as a series of street marches to oppose a controversial extradition bill that has garnered attention around the world. Things have escalated since then, and China’s Liaison Office in Hong Kong described the situation in the region as “lawless, trampling on human rights and inhumane, have completely gone beyond the bottom line of civil society, and is no different to terrorist.”

Authorities have turned to violence in dealing with pro-democracy protests. Police have reportedly used tear gas and pepper spray to forcibly stop protestors. According to CBS News, the people of Hong Kong are growing increasingly fearful of Chinese military involvement in cracking down protests.