China's state-controlled media are warning against "political confrontation" ahead of a mass pro-democracy rally set for Tuesday in Hong Kong.
Hundreds of thousands of protesters are expected to show up. Some plan to stay overnight as part of a campaign to shut down the city's financial district. Zhou Yongkang is secretary-general of the Hong Kong Federation of Students, which is among the groups planning a sit-in. He told VOA's Mandarin service his group aims to apply peaceful pressure on Beijing.
"This will be a way to show to society this is exactly what the Occupy movement is about. It can be a peaceful, non-violent and orderly way to carry out this process. It will be a ripple effect, to push the government, to make it understand that it really has a crisis in governance here," said Zhou.
The protest comes after nearly 800,000 Hong Kongers voted on plans for electoral autonomy in an unofficial, 10-day referendum organized by the Occupy Central movement.
The referendum and protest reflect a growing discontent among Hong Kong residents, who are concerned their civil liberties are being whittled away by mainland authorities.
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