China gave its response on Monday to pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong which have blocked main roads across the city. China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs repeated on Monday its opposition to the “Occupy Central” movement.
The demonstrations are handing the Chinese leadership a major political dilemma, as Beijing must strike a delicate balance to contain the expanding political movement while refraining from taking extreme measures. Demonstrators who are demanding a greater say in choosing the financial centre’s Chief Executive defied weekend attempts by riot police to end their sit-ins with tear gas blasts and, on Monday, fanned out to more neighbourhoods of Hong Kong in a tense standoff.

The mass protests are the strongest challenge yet to Beijing’s decision last month to reject open nominations for candidates under proposed guidelines for the first-ever elections for Hong Kong’s leader, promised for 2017. Instead, candidates must continue to be hand-picked by Beijing, a move that many residents viewed as reneging on promises to allow greater democracy in the semi-autonomous territory
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