"This is both a legal fact and an internationally recognized political reality, leaving no room whatsoever for Hong Kong to become independent or separate from the motherland in any manner," Leung was quoted as saying by the South China Morning Post newspaper.
During his last address to Hong Kong's legislative body, Leung stressed that amid difficult situation in the international relations every Hong Kong citizen was obliged to protect China's "sovereignty, security and territorial integrity".
A political disagreement between Beijing and Hong Kong took place in 2014, when the Occupy Central campaign was launched in Hong Kong following Beijing's decision to vet candidates running in the special administrative region's 2017 chief executive election. Activists opposing the decision took to the streets demanding democratic elections. The protests lasted for 78 days and led to numerous arrests and clashes with the police.
China gained sovereignty over Hong Kong in 1997. The administrative region was granted legal, economic and political autonomy from Beijing under the "one country, two systems" principle formulated by Chairman of the Central Advisory Commission of the Communist Party of China Deng Xiaoping in the early 1980s.
