Hong Kong - A would-be Chinese hit man was arrested in Hong Kong with a gun and bullets in a plot targeting pro-democracy champion Martin Lee, prosecutors told a court Monday.

A photograph and the home address of media tycoon Jimmy Lai were also found on 50-year-old Huang Nanhua when police arrested him after a routine check on a taxi last August.

Huang, who had a homemade pistol and five rounds of ammunition, later told police he had been instructed to come to Hong Kong to "teach someone a lesson," the city's High Court heard.

Huang pleaded not guilty to a charge of carrying arms and ammunition with intent to cause an arrestable offence, and also to possessing arms and ammunition without a licence.

Lee, 71, is the retired founder of Hong Kong's Democratic Party and was campaigning for colleagues in last year's legislative council elections when Huang was arrested.

When news of the alleged plot first became public in May, he remarked: "I have never feared death. It would be an honour to shed blood for democracy."

However, he said he did not believe the mainland government was behind the incident, saying Chinese officials were "more keen to use character assassination."

Jimmy Lai, who owns the Apple Daily newspaper, is a persistent critic of China and a supporter of pro-democracy movements in the Communist-led country.

Prosecutors at the start of the 10-day trial said it was unclear who the targets of the plot were or how seriously they would have been injured but said Lee and Lai seemed the most likely targets.

Shortly before his arrest, prosecutors said Huang had visited a Democratic Party office in Hong Kong to see if Lee was there in what they said was a dry-run for an attack.

The gun seized by police was smuggled from China to Hong Kong in August and then passed to Huang, they alleged.

Hong Kong reverted to Chinese rule in 1997 under a "one country, two systems" arrangement allowing political freedoms and freedom of speech denied to people in the rest of China. (dpa)