Hong Kong Government Bans Pro-Independence Political Party

"In exercise of the power conferred on the Secretary for Security by section 8(2) of the Societies Ordinance, I hereby order that the operation or continued operation of the Hong Kong National Party in Hong Kong be prohibited," the statement read.

The order took effect just after the statement was released.

In July, the Hong Kong police called for the party to be banned over security concerns, claiming that members of the party were drafting plans on making Hong Kong independent, and were also trying to implement these plans.

While the party was given 21 days to provide written arguments on why it should not be banned, with the deadline having been extended three times, it still failed to do so in due time.

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The Hong Kong National Party's convenor Chan Ho-tin was banned from running for the Hong Kong Legislative Council in 2016 due to his pro-independence stances, with the local government claiming that Hong Kong's independence would not comply with the Chinese constitutional principle of "One country, two systems."

Southern China's region Hong Kong, which used to be a British colony since 1842, was returned to China in 1997 on the condition that the Chinese government would adhere to the "one country, two systems" concept, which means the region would remain capitalist and would not comply with the Chinese socialist system until 2047.