The Chinese government's controversial plan to implement a national security law in Hong Kong has sparked reactions from Hong Kong's legal professional bodies and foreign companies, as massive pro-democracy demonstrations in the city resumed.

In a statement released Monday, the Hong Kong Bar Association (HKBA) expressed concerns about the draft legislation before China's National People's Congress, the country's legislature, that would clamp down on activities in Hong Kong in the name of national security, including "separatist, subversive, infiltrative, or destructive activities," as well as foreign interference in Hong Kong's internal affairs.

In particular, the HKBA questioned the legality of Beijing imposing the national security legislation on Hong Kong, arguing that Beijing does not have the power under the constitutional arrangement between the central government and the Hong Kong special administrative region to introduce the legislation without going through Hong Kong's Legislative Council, the city's only legislature under its mini-constitution, known as the Basic Law.