Bids to split China risk 'smashed bones': Xi

President Xi Jinping addresses a gathering in Kathmandu. Photo: AP

President Xi Jinping has warned that any attempts to split China would result in "bodies smashed and bones ground to powder", amid four months of anti-Beijing unrest in Hong Kong.



Xi issued the dire message during a weekend visit to Nepal, according to a foreign ministry statement released on Sunday.



"Anyone who attempts to split any region from China will perish, with their bodies smashed and bones ground to powder," Xi said, according to the ministry.



"Any external forces that support the splitting of China can only be regarded as delusional by the Chinese people," he said during a visit to Nepal.



While Xi did not mention any region by name, his comments came as riot police and pro-democracy protesters clashed again in Hong Kong on Sunday.



Rallies erupted in multiple neighbourhoods, with some protesters blocking roads, sabotaging train tracks, and trashing pro-China businesses.



China has accused "external forces" of fuelling unrest in Hong Kong. (AFP)