HONG KONG – Hong Kong's Beijing-backed leader says residents of the southern Chinese city are obliged to reject threats to China's sovereignty, in what appeared to be a veiled warning to pro-independence advocates.
Chief Executive Carrie Lam made the comments in a speech Wednesday outlining her policy goals.
She did not specifically mention simmering tensions over burgeoning independence sentiment in Hong Kong.
But the conflict is part of broader fears among residents about Beijing's tightening grip on the semiautonomous city and erosion of its local identity.
Lam told lawmakers that residents have "the obligation to say 'no' to any attempt to threaten our country's sovereignty, security and development interests, as well as the duty to nurture our next generation into citizens with a sense of national identity."
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