"This is the first time it's happened to me like this, a meeting was cancelled at the last minute," Mr Lee told Reuters. Street protests calling for full democracy for Hong Kong in 2014 presented Beijing with one of its biggest political challenges in decades. Mr Lee has for decades campaigned for democracy for Hong Kong. Mr Chan has said China should trust Hong Kong people to pick their own leader. Opposition Labour Party legislator David Shearer, who spoke with Mr Chan and Mr Lee earlier this week, said Chinese officials had approached him expressing "concern" about the meeting.

Source: Otago Daily Times October 21, 2016 06:00 UTC