Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam said Wednesday that nationalism education targeting civil servants and youth will be strengthened to increase understanding of the concept of "one country" in the semiautonomous Chinese territory.

In the National Constitution Day forum, Lam told guests and students that Hong Kong society, facing unprecedented conflict and violence since June, needs to better understand the special status of "one country, two systems."

"The citizens of Hong Kong need to uphold the basis of 'one country' and respect the differences in 'two systems' with a clear understanding of 'one country' being the precondition and foundation of 'two systems'," she said.

Under China's "one country, two systems" policy, Hong Kong was promised it would enjoy the rights and freedoms of a semiautonomous region for 50 years following the former British colony's return to Chinese rule in 1997.

"We need to strengthen education of the (Chinese) Constitution and (Hong Kong's) Basic Law, enhance recognition of nationalism and our nationality in the society, particularly among civil servants and youth," Lam said, alluding to the mini-constitution in effect in the territory since the handover.

But Beijing's tightening grip over Hong Kong since the handover and the local government's attempt to pass a bill that would have allowed extraditions to mainland China have created social unrest that the Chinese leadership sees as a challenge to its rule.

"The continuing violent crime in Hong Kong...seriously challenges the bottom line of the principle of 'one country, two systems,' which indeed is an attempt to challenge the 'one country, two systems' constitutional order prescribed by the Constitution and the Basic Law," Wang Zhimin, director of the Central Government's Liaison Office in Hong Kong, said at the forum.

Mass protests began in Hong Kong in June over the contentious extradition bill. Even though it was withdrawn in October amid strong popular opposition, the protests have expanded to include calls for police accountability and greater democracy.

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