China says independence plots ‘futile’

China said yesterday “diehard” independence supporters in Taiwan and Hong Kong were seeking to link up to hatch separatist plots, but they would never succeed.

Pro-Beijing lawmakers walked out of the Hong Kong legislature last Wednesday to prevent the swearing-in of two pro-independence activists. Asked about the case, Chiu Chui-Cheng, spokesman for Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council, said the two had been elected and called on China and Hong Kong to respect the will of the public.