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.<br />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.<br /><br />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<br />No Comment | euronews: watch the international news without commentary | http://www.euronews.net/nocomment/
