Lawyers and politicians in Hong Kong are bracing for a broader crackdown after China's move to effectively ban two independence-minded lawmakers, fears reinforced by senior Chinese parliamentarian Li Fei, who insisted on Beijing's duty to assert its authority.

Before the intervention by China's parliament on Monday, a Hong Kong court was already considering whether to bar newly elected lawmakers Baggio Leung and Yau Wai-hing, whose swearing-in ceremony was aborted after they mispronounced the oath in a way regarded as insulting to China.

Li's justification of Beijing's move to interpret Hong Kong's Basic Law constitution has raised fears of further action by both the city's own government and China's Communist Party leadership to destroy the fledgling independence movement in the former British colony.