Veteran Beijing loyalist Xu Simin died last night in Queen Mary Hospital. He was 93.
Xu, a former member of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference's Standing Committee, who had been in hospital since early July, died of organ failure caused by pneumonia about 8pm.
Xu was born in Myanmar in 1914 and was an anti-Japanese activist from the early 1930s.
A delegate to the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference since it was founded in 1949, Xu was one of the longest-serving deputies when he stepped down in 2003.
In 1977, he founded the pro-Beijing Mirror Monthly Magazine and became known for his bold and outspoken opinions, which earned him the nickname 'Big Cannon Xu'. A long-time critic of corruption on the mainland, he called for democratic reform and press freedom in the 1980s. He was also a key supporter of a bid by former chief justice Sir Ti-liang Yang to become the city's first chief executive.
In 1998, Xu created a furore when he attacked RTHK as 'remnant of British rule' and called on former chief executive Tung Chee-hwa to exercise greater control over the broadcaster. He also accused RTHK of attacking the government and Mr Tung under the pretext of editorial independence.
National People's Congress Standing Committee member Tsang Hin-chi last night described Xu as a patriot, adding: 'I have already known him for decades. He was a conscientious man.'