The pro-independence party in Hong Kong has formally banned the transfer

HONG KONG (Reuters) – Hong Kong authorities officially banned a group promoting independence from China on Monday – the first ban on a political organization since Britain handed over its former colony to Chinese rule in 1997.

The city's security secretary, John Lee, announced the ban on the Hong Kong National Party in a brief statement published in the official journal, ten days after the party had argued against the decision.

Lee ordered the ban under the Hong Kong Companies Ordinance, a little-known colonial-era law that requires all social groups and organizations to register with the police.

The law authorizes the government to prohibit groups "in the interest of national security, public order or the protection of the rights and freedoms of others".

Lee then told reporters that the two-year-old group was ready to use "all methods" to forge independence, which posed a threat to national security and violated the Basic Law, the mini-constitution governing human rights relations. Hong Kong with China.

"It is clear that Hong Kong's agenda is a republic," Lee said.

Lee also said the group had spread "hatred and discrimination against mainland Chinese."

The authorities could not exclude actions against other groups, including those promoting self-determination and total independence, he added.

Hong Kong's emerging independence movement shows no sign of widespread public support, but the government's decision in July to announce its intention to ban the Hong Kong National Party has propelled its leader, Andy Chan.

Hong Kong is governed by a "one country, two systems" principle that gives the global financial center a high degree of autonomy and freedoms not enjoyed by China, including an independent legal system and freedom of speech and meeting.

Chan, 28, has been widely quoted in local and international media in recent weeks. In August, he spoke at the Foreign Correspondent's Club in Hong Kong, a decision condemned by the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and local Chinese officials.

"I will never stop in my pursuit of freedom, human rights, equality and dignity," Chan told Reuters earlier.

Chan declined to comment when he was contacted by Reuters. Some media reported that he was considering a judicial remedy.

Local authorities' efforts to find ways to quell the independence movement follow a warning issued last year by President Xi Xinping during a visit to the city that any attempt to endanger the country's sovereignty China

China's tightening of control over the city has fueled tensions in recent years, including the "Occupy Central" movement in 2014 that blocked main roads for nearly three months.