AKIPRESS.COM - Hong Kong riot police used pepper spray to disperse protesters around government headquarters on Saturday, fuelling tension ahead of a planned sit-in by pro-democracy activists to protest against Beijing's tightening grip on the city, reports Reuters.

Clashes through the night between police carrying riot shields and demonstrators underscore the challenges China faces in shaping its vision for Hong Kong's political future as a restive younger generation challenges its influence in the former British colony.

Several people suffered minor injuries.

Police cleared the remaining scores of protesters who had forced their way into the city's main government compound on Friday night. They were removed one by one, with some carried away, according to witnesses. Many protesters were still sitting outside the government compound on Saturday.

Hundreds of students and demonstrators had forced their way past a police cordon and scaled perimeter fences at government headquarters, close to Hong Kong's financial district, on Friday in the culmination of a week-long rally to demand free elections in the Asian financial center.

Police carried signs that read "stop charging or we use force".

Several thousand protesters massed on streets outside the headquarters in support of those who had stormed inside, shouting "retreat, retreat, retreat" as police advanced and tried to stop them charging.

Many protesters used umbrellas to shield them from pepper spray, while those who got hit used water to rinse their eyes.

Hong Kong returned from British to Chinese rule in 1997 under a formula known as "one country, two systems", with a high degree of autonomy and freedoms not enjoyed in mainland China. Universal suffrage was set as an eventual goal.

But Beijing last month rejected demands for people to freely choose the city's next leader in 2017, prompting threats from activists to shut down the Central financial district in a so-called Occupy Central campaign. China wants to limit elections to a handful of candidates loyal to Beijing.