Rival protesters gathered outside Hong Kong's Foreign Correspondents' Club today as it was set to host a talk by an independence activist, despite a request by Beijing to cancel.
Pro-independence activists clashed with police, saying they had been given no space to protest, while dozens of pro-Beijing supporters chanted slogans including "Gas the spies!"
The ministry said: "We resolutely oppose any external forces providing a platform for 'Hong Kong independence' elements to spread fallacies."