Hong Kong told to uphold rule of law, fight separatism

Beijing will not allow anyone in Hong Kong to harm national security or use the special administrative region as a base for subverting political and social stability, the government's top liaison official said on New Year's Day.

In an interview with China Central Television, Zhang Xiaoming, director of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in Hong Kong, spelled out three lines that should not be crossed.

One must not undermine China's sovereignty over Hong Kong and hurt national security, nor challenge the authority of the central government and Hong Kong's Basic Law, the city's mini-constitution, he said.