"We will break your bones and turn them into powder."

BEIJING (Reuters) - Chinese President Xi Jinping warned on Sunday that any attempt to divide his country could result in "smashing bodies and grinding bones into powder."

"Anyone who tries to separate any area from China will perish, their bodies will be broken and their bones crushed into powder," Xi said during a recent visit to Nepal.

"Any outside forces that support the division of China can only be seen by the Chinese people as delusional," he said.

While the Chinese leader did not name any area by name, his comments came as riot police clashed with pro-democracy demonstrators again in Hong Kong and amid tensions with autonomous Taiwan.

Hong Kong has been shaking pro-democracy demonstrations for three months. Protesters condemn police actions and Beijing's growing dominance of Hong Kong's semi-autonomous domestic affairs.

The protest movement began in June against a bill allowing the extradition of convicts to central authorities in Beijing.

The Hong Kong government abandoned the project in early September, but protesters raised their demands and continued to demonstrate against the central government's policies in Beijing.

New demands
The new demands include an independent investigation into allegations of excessive violence by police during the protests, the unconditional release of detainees, the non-description of the protests as riots and direct elections for the city's chief executive.

The city has special rights under a 1997 extradition agreement from Britain to China, including the right of expression and an independent judiciary. Many see these rights threatened by pressure from Beijing.

China has accused "outside powers" of fomenting unrest in the city, and there were fears of sending troops to end the unrest there.

Some analysts believe Beijing could risk international condemnation by repeating its 1989 crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrators in Tiananmen Square.

On Saturday, hundreds of Hong Kong residents staged masks, despite a government ban last week on wearing masks.

The law, which came into effect last week, provides for a maximum of one year in prison and a fine of $ 3,200 for those wearing the masks.