The head of a British parliamentary committee refused entry to Hong Kong said Monday that MPs had "every right" to visit, as a government spokesman said China's reaction was "counter-productive".

Richard Ottaway, chairman of the House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee, spoke after China refused to grant visas to members of the committee to visit Hong Kong, where violence re-erupted overnight with clashes between pro-democracy protesters and police.

The British parliament will now hold an emergency debate on the incident on Tuesday, further marring efforts to reset relations between Britain and China which were soured when Prime Minister David Cameron met the Dalai Lama at Downing Street in 2012.

Ottaway, a senior member of Cameron's Conservative party, was told on Friday by China's deputy ambassador that eight lawmakers from his committee would not receive visas for a planned trip in a couple of weeks.

He said the deputy ambassador told him: "You're not still a colonial power."

Ottaway told AFP: "I don't think for a moment that we think that we're still a colonial power... we've got every right to ascertain whether China is complying with its undertakings."

Under the Joint Declaration signed in 1984 which set out the terms of Britain's 1997 handover of Hong Kong, the city is governed under the principle of "one country, two systems".

This means that Hong Kong has a string of political, social and economic freedoms not enjoyed on the Chinese mainland.

Ottaway believes that China was "concerned that we might be seen to be supporting the protesters" in Hong Kong but denied having any contact with them.

"They don't like criticism in China and I think if you're going to show a commitment to democracy, which they have done in Hong Kong, you've got to accept that democracy entails constructive criticism and they should actually learn to take it," he said.

- 'Counter-productive' -

Protesters have been holding mass sit-ins since September, demanding free leadership elections, with some of the worst violence yet overnight.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Hua Chunying said Monday that foreign countries had no right to "interfere" in Hong Kong.

He called the committee's attempt to travel "overtly confrontational", echoing the phrase Ottaway used Sunday to describe China's behaviour.

Cameron's official spokesman told reporters Monday that it was "mistaken" and "counter-productive" to block the lawmakers.

"It only serves to amplify concerns about the situation in Hong Kong," he said.

"As a co-signatory of the Joint Declaration, the UK does have a legitimate concern and interest in the way that treaty is implemented.

"It's perfectly understandable that British members of parliament will want to scrutinise how that is implemented."

Another group of British lawmakers last week cancelled a visit to China after a member who spoke up for Hong Kong's right to autonomy was not granted a visa.

Ottaway, meanwhile, said he thought that the many international banks and financial services firms based in Hong Kong would be "very concerned" at what has happened.

"I'm pretty sure businesses there will be raising an eyebrow and actually beginning to wonder whether it might be better to be relocating to Singapore rather than staying," he added.

New US plea to China for restraint in Hong Kong
Washington (AFP) Dec 01, 2014 - The United States on Monday issued a fresh appeal to Beijing to exercise restraint in Hong Kong, adding it was concerned that British MPs had been barred from visiting the territory.

"We encourage differences between Hong Kong authorities and protesters to be addressed peacefully through dialogue," State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki told reporters.

Washington had conveyed its concerns to both Beijing and the authorities in Hong Kong, she added.

"We continue to call for protesters to express their views peacefully and for Hong Kong authorities to exercise restraint," Psaki said.

Amid fears the semi-autonomous city could face further clashes after one of the most violent nights in the two-month-old pro-democracy protests, Psaki warned "any increase in aggression, we would be concerned about."

Hundreds clashed with police as they tried to storm Hong Kong government headquarters late Sunday. Dozens were left injured.

Protesters want fully free leadership elections in 2017, but Beijing has said all candidates must be vetted by a loyalist committee.

China has meanwhile refused to grant visas to a delegation of eight British MPs who wanted to visit Hong Kong, which was handed back by London to China in 1997.

Under the terms of the handover, Hong Kong was to enjoy a string of freedoms not granted to the Chinese mainland.

"We are concerned by reports that Beijing intends to deny entry to a group of British members of parliament to Hong Kong," Psaki said.

"We hope the members of parliament will be able to travel freely, as they wish."