Hong Kong police fired tear gas and water cannon to disperse thousands of people who rallied on Sunday to protest against Beijing's plan to impose national security laws on the city.

In a return of the unrest that roiled Hong Kong last year, crowds thronged the Causeway Bay shopping area in defiance of curbs imposed to contain the coronavirus. Chants of "Hong Kong independence, the only way out," echoed through the streets.

To Communist Party leaders, calls for independence for the semi-autonomous city are anathema and the proposed new national security framework stresses Beijing’s intent "to prevent, stop and punish" such acts...