Update | NPC boss Zhang Dejiang blasts supporters of Hong Kong independence
Zhang Dejiang is first state leader to criticise talk of the city separating from China, warning 'we should not take these calls lightly'
The state leader overseeing Hong Kong issued a stern warning yesterday against advocates of independence and self-determination for the city, saying their calls were "intolerable" and would seriously jeopardise overall national interests.
Zhang Dejiang , chairman of the National People's Congress, was cited as saying in Beijing that such ideas were unpopular and clashed with the people's will.
Zhang said it was hard to eliminate in the near future the negative effects of Occupy
It is the first time a state leader has publicly criticised talk of Hong Kong independence or a Hong Kong city-state with power for self-determination.
He also stressed safeguarding national security and development interests was a "clear red line" that could not be crossed under the "one country, two systems" principle, according to Rita Fan Hsu Lai-tai, Hong Kong's sole representative on the NPC Standing Committee.
Fan was among 36 Hong Kong deputies to the NPC, the national legislature, who met Zhang behind closed doors.
The idea of a city-state was advocated by Lingnan University academic Dr Horace Chin Wan-kan in a 2011 book.
Zhang did not name the scholar yesterday, but "said we should not take these calls lightly although they were advocated by a tiny minority", another NPC deputy, Brave Chan Yung, said.