Thousands of Hong Kong people protested on Wednesday against the government's handling of a controversial anti-subversion bill.
Demonstrators staged a candlelit vigil and called for greater democracy, amid mounting criticism of Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa, who was not directly elected to the post.
In a sign of China's deep concern about the situation, pro-Beijing politicians said a team of middle-ranking mainland officials had arrived in the territory to assess developments.
A BBC correspondent says the officials are reported to have been present at Wednesday night's protest, which saw tens of thousands of people gather outside the territory's legislative council.
The protest followed a 1 July rally when 500,000 people marched to denounce the anti-subversion bill, the biggest protest in the territory since the Tiananmen Square massacre in Beijing in June 1989.
The scale of that protest forced Mr Tung to defer the bill's passage, and no new timetable has been set for it.
Under the Basic Law - Hong Kong's mini-constitution, drawn up on its return to Chinese sovereignty - the territory is required to pass security laws banning treason, sedition, subversion and the theft of state secrets.
But opponents are concerned that China could use the legislation - known as Article 23 - to suppress Hong Kong's political freedom and curb free speech.
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http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/3054861.stm
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