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Winnie Xi shitting his pants over HK right now!! Readying his PLA troops!!
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Beijing says will 'firmly support' Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam
image: data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang during a news conference in Beijing, China April 23, 2018. REUTERS/Jason Lee/Files
17 Jun 2019 04:16PM (Updated: 17 Jun 2019 05:18PM)
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BEIJING: Beijing reiterated its backing of Hong Kong's embattled leader Carrie Lam on Monday (Jun 17) after a massive demonstration demanding she resigns over a controversial extradition bill.
Protest organisers said about two million people choked Hong Kong's streets on Sunday - despite Lam's decision to indefinitely suspend passage of the bill a day earlier.
Critics fear the Beijing-backed law will entangle people in China's notoriously opaque and politicised courts and damage the city's reputation as a safe business hub.
Although Lam offered a rare concession on Saturday, she stopped short of committing to permanently scrapping the unpopular law.
READ: Hong Kong activist Joshua Wong freed from jail, joins calls for leader to quit
Her gesture was swiftly rejected by protest leaders who called on her to resign, shelve the bill entirely and apologise for police using tear gas and rubber bullets earlier in the week.
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But Lam - the first woman to get the international financial hub's top job - continues to enjoy support from the Chinese leadership.
"The central government will continue to firmly support the chief executive and efforts by the government of the Special Administrative Region to govern according to law," Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang told a regular briefing.
Lam took over as Hong Kong's chief executive in March 2017 when a committee stacked with Beijing loyalists voted her into office.
Beijing had earlier backed Lam's decision to suspend the bill saying it was an attempt to "listen more widely" to different views and "restore calm."
But Lu from China's foreign ministry said the protests are "not in line with the mainstream public opinion in Hong Kong."
"Many facts have shown that foreign governments and even some politicians have been making inflammatory remarks since the decision of the Hong Kong government to start amending the extradition ordinance in February," Lu said.
READ: Hong Kong protests: How violence erupted in the city over a polarising extradition Bill
Source: AFP/aa
Read more at https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asia/hong-kong-protests-beijing-supports-carrie-lam-11634642
image: data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang during a news conference in Beijing, China April 23, 2018. REUTERS/Jason Lee/Files
17 Jun 2019 04:16PM (Updated: 17 Jun 2019 05:18PM)
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BEIJING: Beijing reiterated its backing of Hong Kong's embattled leader Carrie Lam on Monday (Jun 17) after a massive demonstration demanding she resigns over a controversial extradition bill.
Protest organisers said about two million people choked Hong Kong's streets on Sunday - despite Lam's decision to indefinitely suspend passage of the bill a day earlier.
Critics fear the Beijing-backed law will entangle people in China's notoriously opaque and politicised courts and damage the city's reputation as a safe business hub.
Although Lam offered a rare concession on Saturday, she stopped short of committing to permanently scrapping the unpopular law.
READ: Hong Kong activist Joshua Wong freed from jail, joins calls for leader to quit
Her gesture was swiftly rejected by protest leaders who called on her to resign, shelve the bill entirely and apologise for police using tear gas and rubber bullets earlier in the week.
Advertisement
But Lam - the first woman to get the international financial hub's top job - continues to enjoy support from the Chinese leadership.
"The central government will continue to firmly support the chief executive and efforts by the government of the Special Administrative Region to govern according to law," Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang told a regular briefing.
Lam took over as Hong Kong's chief executive in March 2017 when a committee stacked with Beijing loyalists voted her into office.
Beijing had earlier backed Lam's decision to suspend the bill saying it was an attempt to "listen more widely" to different views and "restore calm."
But Lu from China's foreign ministry said the protests are "not in line with the mainstream public opinion in Hong Kong."
"Many facts have shown that foreign governments and even some politicians have been making inflammatory remarks since the decision of the Hong Kong government to start amending the extradition ordinance in February," Lu said.
READ: Hong Kong protests: How violence erupted in the city over a polarising extradition Bill
Source: AFP/aa
Read more at https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asia/hong-kong-protests-beijing-supports-carrie-lam-11634642
I heard that some of the demonstrators are paid to attend the demonstration and to cause problems,,but when 2 million ppl turn up,,,i really wonder how much and how many were paid?I suspect the rich Tiongs and Hongkanese are the mastermind behind these protest. They stand to lose the most if the law is passed. Lol
Behind the scene funding of the protests...the proposed law affects those businessmen tax evaders the most. You think CCP so free to bother about small little working ants? Haha...
This bill does have its merits,,but its the way that carrie lam did things that fuck it up, and c'mon lah,,if the ah tiongs can kidnap book sellers,,,they can also deal with the tax evaders etc,,,,and in HK still have to follow rule of law etc,,if i am an ah tiong tax evader i will run far away instead of staying in HK,,,,
The way local business is run in China is that everyone under declare tax. The further north you go, the more tax evaders. Even Harbin has fake taxis on the road. The local government closes an eye or are in cahoots. The CCP generally knows and won't bother you until your business becomes big of a certain size. Then they come after you. Its called efficient use of enforcement resources. And when these dumb local businessmen run, their first stop to run is usually HK. Lol
Tat why have to stay further away than HK n CCP more interested in subversion than tax invasionThe way local business is run in China is that everyone under declare tax. The further north you go, the more tax evaders. Even Harbin has fake taxis on the road. The local government closes an eye or are in cahoots. The CCP generally knows and won't bother you until your business becomes big of a certain size. Then they come after you. Its called efficient use of enforcement resources. And when these dumb local businessmen run, their first stop to run is usually HK. Lol
China won't allow Hong Kong leader to step down despite mass unrest: HK official
AsiaChina won't allow Hong Kong leader to step down despite mass unrest: HK official
image: data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==
Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam attends a news conference in Hong Kong, China, June 15, 2019. REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha
17 Jun 2019 07:56PM
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HONG KONG: Beijing won't let Hong Kong's leader, Carrie Lam, step down even if she wanted to, a senior city government official close to her said on Monday (Jun 17), adding that a divisive extradition law she delayed on the weekend was effectively withdrawn.
Opposition to the proposed law allowing extradition to mainland China has sparked the city's biggest and most violent street protests in decades over the past week.
Beijing-backed Chief Executive Lam indefinitely delayed the legislation on Saturday.
But her gesture failed to mollify the protesters who have become increasingly outraged over the prospect of legislation that lawyers and judges say risks exposing people to the mercy of a mainland justice system plagued by torture, forced confessions and arbitrary detention.
READ: Protesters end highway occupation outside Hong Kong's parliament
The Bill, which will cover Hong Kong residents and foreign and Chinese nationals living or travelling through the city, has also sparked concern it would threaten the rule of law that underpins Hong Kong's international financial status.
Advertisement
A crowd of what organisers said was more than two million protesters, many dressed in black, swarmed over swathes of Hong Kong island on Sunday, chanting for Lam to quit.
But despite the anger, she was unlikely to go, said the government official, who declined to be identified given the sensitivity of the matter.
"It's not going to happen," said the official, who has been involved in meetings on the political crisis.
The turmoil in Hong Kong comes after years of resentment in the former British colony over what many residents see as increasingly repressive meddling by Beijing, despite a "one country, two systems" promise of autonomy that paved the way for its return to Chinese rule in 1997.
Now the city's agitation has become another problem for China's leader Xi Jinping, already grappling with a trade war with the United States, a U.S.-led clamp-down on tech giant Huawei and tension in the South China Sea.
"She's appointed by the central government, so for her to step down requires a very high level of considered discussion and deliberation at the mainland level," the official said.
But the situation remains fluid and more mass protests could bring a re-think by Beijing's leaders.
In 2003, after a protest against security laws that were eventually scrapped, Hong Kong's then leader, Tung Chee-hwa, left office in the middle of his second term. His decision to step down, citing health reasons, came 20 months after the demonstration that drew half a million people.
Lam was voted in by an electoral college of Beijing-approved delegates, after Beijing rejected demands for universal suffrage in the city. Her resignation now, even if Beijing thought it was time, and the search for a new leader, would likely rekindle the debate about democracy.
"It would create more sorts of problems than it solves, at all sorts of levels," the source said of the prospect of Lam quitting.
With the crowd growing ever bigger on Sunday, and the chants for Lam to go echoing off the gleaming office towers of the Asian financial hub, Lam apologised, acknowledging that "deficiencies in the government's work had led to substantial controversies and disputes in society".
READ: Hong Kong activist Joshua Wong freed from jail, joins calls for leader to quit
"POLITICAL SUICIDE"
The government official said the decision to postpone the Bill had been made with Beijing's consent, to the relief of many in the city administration.
But analysts said such a climb-down could undermine Xi's image as a tough, unyielding leader who has overseen a drive against corruption and dissent since he became top leader in 2012.
China's Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether Beijing would allow Lam to quit.
The foreign ministry spokesman, asked about her fate, referred reporters to a statement issued on Saturday, in which the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office said the government had "always fully affirmed" Lam's work and "will continue to firmly support the chief executive".
Beijing rejects accusations of meddling and Chinese state media has said "foreign forces" were trying to damage China by creating chaos over the Bill.
The government official said the proposed law was effectively dead in the water.
"Suspending it actually means withdrawal ... it would be absolute political suicide to bring it back again," the official said.
The official said the protests had probably damaged Lam politically in the eyes of Beijing and it was "doubtful" that she would seek a second term.
Regina Ip, a member of the city's top Executive Council and an adviser to Lam, told Reuters she did not think Lam would resign, despite the calls from the protesters.
Veteran opposition Democratic Party lawmaker James To said Lam had go.
"She has missed golden opportunities to show repentance and recover and now has lost all credibility to govern," he said.
Source: Reuters/nc
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/new...ts-carrie-lam-china-extradition-bill-11634850
AsiaChina won't allow Hong Kong leader to step down despite mass unrest: HK official
image: data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==
Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam attends a news conference in Hong Kong, China, June 15, 2019. REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha
17 Jun 2019 07:56PM
Share this content
HONG KONG: Beijing won't let Hong Kong's leader, Carrie Lam, step down even if she wanted to, a senior city government official close to her said on Monday (Jun 17), adding that a divisive extradition law she delayed on the weekend was effectively withdrawn.
Opposition to the proposed law allowing extradition to mainland China has sparked the city's biggest and most violent street protests in decades over the past week.
Beijing-backed Chief Executive Lam indefinitely delayed the legislation on Saturday.
But her gesture failed to mollify the protesters who have become increasingly outraged over the prospect of legislation that lawyers and judges say risks exposing people to the mercy of a mainland justice system plagued by torture, forced confessions and arbitrary detention.
READ: Protesters end highway occupation outside Hong Kong's parliament
The Bill, which will cover Hong Kong residents and foreign and Chinese nationals living or travelling through the city, has also sparked concern it would threaten the rule of law that underpins Hong Kong's international financial status.
Advertisement
A crowd of what organisers said was more than two million protesters, many dressed in black, swarmed over swathes of Hong Kong island on Sunday, chanting for Lam to quit.
But despite the anger, she was unlikely to go, said the government official, who declined to be identified given the sensitivity of the matter.
"It's not going to happen," said the official, who has been involved in meetings on the political crisis.
The turmoil in Hong Kong comes after years of resentment in the former British colony over what many residents see as increasingly repressive meddling by Beijing, despite a "one country, two systems" promise of autonomy that paved the way for its return to Chinese rule in 1997.
Now the city's agitation has become another problem for China's leader Xi Jinping, already grappling with a trade war with the United States, a U.S.-led clamp-down on tech giant Huawei and tension in the South China Sea.
"She's appointed by the central government, so for her to step down requires a very high level of considered discussion and deliberation at the mainland level," the official said.
But the situation remains fluid and more mass protests could bring a re-think by Beijing's leaders.
In 2003, after a protest against security laws that were eventually scrapped, Hong Kong's then leader, Tung Chee-hwa, left office in the middle of his second term. His decision to step down, citing health reasons, came 20 months after the demonstration that drew half a million people.
Lam was voted in by an electoral college of Beijing-approved delegates, after Beijing rejected demands for universal suffrage in the city. Her resignation now, even if Beijing thought it was time, and the search for a new leader, would likely rekindle the debate about democracy.
"It would create more sorts of problems than it solves, at all sorts of levels," the source said of the prospect of Lam quitting.
With the crowd growing ever bigger on Sunday, and the chants for Lam to go echoing off the gleaming office towers of the Asian financial hub, Lam apologised, acknowledging that "deficiencies in the government's work had led to substantial controversies and disputes in society".
READ: Hong Kong activist Joshua Wong freed from jail, joins calls for leader to quit
"POLITICAL SUICIDE"
The government official said the decision to postpone the Bill had been made with Beijing's consent, to the relief of many in the city administration.
But analysts said such a climb-down could undermine Xi's image as a tough, unyielding leader who has overseen a drive against corruption and dissent since he became top leader in 2012.
China's Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether Beijing would allow Lam to quit.
The foreign ministry spokesman, asked about her fate, referred reporters to a statement issued on Saturday, in which the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office said the government had "always fully affirmed" Lam's work and "will continue to firmly support the chief executive".
Beijing rejects accusations of meddling and Chinese state media has said "foreign forces" were trying to damage China by creating chaos over the Bill.
The government official said the proposed law was effectively dead in the water.
"Suspending it actually means withdrawal ... it would be absolute political suicide to bring it back again," the official said.
The official said the protests had probably damaged Lam politically in the eyes of Beijing and it was "doubtful" that she would seek a second term.
Regina Ip, a member of the city's top Executive Council and an adviser to Lam, told Reuters she did not think Lam would resign, despite the calls from the protesters.
Veteran opposition Democratic Party lawmaker James To said Lam had go.
"She has missed golden opportunities to show repentance and recover and now has lost all credibility to govern," he said.
Source: Reuters/nc
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/new...ts-carrie-lam-china-extradition-bill-11634850
Conspiracy by the ultra rich Chinks and HKgers to involve innocent masses to protect tneir own karchng and escape route. Haha
Populism is funded by the rich to screw the people and solidify the domination by the rich.
Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam apologises, says she hears the people 'loud and clear' on extradition Bill
Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam at a press conference on Jun 18
Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam at a press conference on Jun 18. (Photo: AFP/Anthony WALLACE)
18 Jun 2019 04:33PM
(Updated: 18 Jun 2019 09:59PM)
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HONG KONG: Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam apologised again on Tuesday (Jun 18) and said she had heard the people "loud and clear" after some of the most violent protests in the city against an extradition Bill that she had promoted and then postponed.
Lam gave no indication she was prepared to step down, saying instead she wanted to "continue to work very hard ... to meet the aspirations of the Hong Kong people".
She also refused to say whether the Bill would be withdrawn, only that it would not be re-introduced during her time in office if public fears persist.
READ: In full: Carrie Lam’s second apology and speech after Hong Kong protests on extradition Bill
"During large-scale public processions over the past two Sundays, people have expressed in a peaceful and rational manner their concerns about the Fugitive Offenders Ordinance and their dissatisfaction and disappointment with the government, especially me. I have heard you loud and clear and have reflected deeply on all that has transpired," said Lam.
"The concerns over the past few months have been caused by deficiencies in the work of the SAR (Special Administrative Region) government over the amendment exercise. I personally have to shoulder much of the responsibility. This has led to controversies, this builds anxieties in society, for this I offer my most sincere apology to all people of Hong Kong," she added.
Lam also indicated that the extradition Bill was unlikely to be revived given the public sentiment.
"I will not proceed again with this legislative exercise if these fears and anxieties (cannot) be adequately addressed," she said.
"If the Bill ... (does) not make the legislative council by July next year, it will expire ... and the government will accept that reality."
MILLIONS PROTESTED EXTRADITION BILL
The law, if passed, would have allowed case-by-case extraditions to mainland China. Despite its postponement, around two million people spilled onto the streets on Sunday, demanding Lam step down and scrap the Bill entirely.
Protesters also demanded that Lam apologises for police using tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse protesters last week, and for all charges to be dropped against anyone detained during the protests.
Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam at a press conference on Jun 18
Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam at a press conference on Jun 18. (Photo: AFP/Anthony WALLACE)
18 Jun 2019 04:33PM
(Updated: 18 Jun 2019 09:59PM)
Share this content
Bookmark
HONG KONG: Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam apologised again on Tuesday (Jun 18) and said she had heard the people "loud and clear" after some of the most violent protests in the city against an extradition Bill that she had promoted and then postponed.
Lam gave no indication she was prepared to step down, saying instead she wanted to "continue to work very hard ... to meet the aspirations of the Hong Kong people".
She also refused to say whether the Bill would be withdrawn, only that it would not be re-introduced during her time in office if public fears persist.
READ: In full: Carrie Lam’s second apology and speech after Hong Kong protests on extradition Bill
"During large-scale public processions over the past two Sundays, people have expressed in a peaceful and rational manner their concerns about the Fugitive Offenders Ordinance and their dissatisfaction and disappointment with the government, especially me. I have heard you loud and clear and have reflected deeply on all that has transpired," said Lam.
"The concerns over the past few months have been caused by deficiencies in the work of the SAR (Special Administrative Region) government over the amendment exercise. I personally have to shoulder much of the responsibility. This has led to controversies, this builds anxieties in society, for this I offer my most sincere apology to all people of Hong Kong," she added.
Lam also indicated that the extradition Bill was unlikely to be revived given the public sentiment.
"I will not proceed again with this legislative exercise if these fears and anxieties (cannot) be adequately addressed," she said.
"If the Bill ... (does) not make the legislative council by July next year, it will expire ... and the government will accept that reality."
MILLIONS PROTESTED EXTRADITION BILL
The law, if passed, would have allowed case-by-case extraditions to mainland China. Despite its postponement, around two million people spilled onto the streets on Sunday, demanding Lam step down and scrap the Bill entirely.
Protesters also demanded that Lam apologises for police using tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse protesters last week, and for all charges to be dropped against anyone detained during the protests.
Hong Kong: Torn between a British past and a Chinese future as it fights for democracy
Hong Kong came to a standstill once again this week after more than a million protesters filled its streets in protest over a proposed extradition bill for the second week in a row.
Protestors are demanding a proposed new law — which would allow extradition to mainland China — be scrapped, claiming it could be used to stifle political opposition in the Special Administrative Region (SAR) and used to extradite dissidents to China.
However, what is at stake for Hong Kong is far wider in scope than just the recent protests.
Here's how its near-200-year history transitioning from a British colony to an expected-yet-uncertain Chinese state by 2047 shaped the territory while prompting the largest protests in Hong Kong's history.
Where did the 'one country, two systems' policy come from?
Space to play or pause, M to mute, left and right arrows to seek, up and down arrows for volume.
Video 1:22
Protesters and police clash in Hong Kong
ABC News
Hong Kong became a British colony in the mid-19th century, and later the United Kingdom signed a 100-year lease with China to obtain sovereignty over Hong Kong Island and surrounding territories in 1898.
Fast forward to 1949, and controversial reformer Mao Zedong appeared on the cusp of controlling the entire Chinese mainland — the city would, for the first time, think about how it might have to fend off a communist incursion.
In 1984 an agreement was made that would reshape Hong Kong's future when the UK agreed to return the region to China when the hundred year lease expired in 1997 — many Hong Kongers left the region in the years in between fearing Chinese rule.
A timeline of key events
However, it was under the condition that Hong Kong would retain some of its democratic institutions, including its judicial system and independence, for 50 years after the handover, set to expire in 2047.
The agreement of a principle of "one country, two systems" was eventually reached with the idea that Hong Kong could retain a high degree of autonomy while still being a part of China.
Protests have long been in Hong Kong's DNA as a result of such history — in the mid-1960s, for example, it was against British rule, years later, it was again fear of Beijing's creeping power.
Hong Kong's historical status as both a former British colony and a part of China continues to feed into tensions about the territory's rule, politics and its cultural identity.
Hong Kong torn between Western and Chinese identities
Occupy Central Hong Kong protester
PHOTO A protester raises his umbrellas in front of tear gas which was fired by riot police during the 2014 pro-democracy protest. REUTERS: TYRONE SIU
Under British colonial rule, Hong Kong's national ties with mainland China were wound back, and over the years, Hong Kong developed its own cultural identity, associated with its own way of life in attempt to fuse Chinese values and British norms and regulations.
For example, today, Hong Kong's legal system is based on the English Common Law — where the judiciary is independent of the executive and legislative branches of government.
However, the final interpretation of its constitution — referred to as the Basic Law — is still in the hands of a division of the Chinese Communist Party back in Beijing.
Meanwhile, English remains an official language, spoken fluently by half the population and widely seen on national signs and transport, while nearly all Hong Kongers speak Cantonese, a Chinese language native to south-eastern China — in mainland China, though, Mandarin remains the official language.
The crucial distinction in Hong Kong and mainland identities are the difference in general public attitudes towards things like press freedom, freedom of speech, privacy and inequality, according to experts.
People who associate themselves with a Hong Kong identity are more openly willing to defend the region's values — prompting uprisings like the 2014 Umbrella Movement as well — in order to maintain its unique characteristics and cultural identity.
Transition from a 'tiger economy' to a high-income economy
The HSBC headquarters (right) in Hong Kong
PHOTO The HSBC headquarters in Hong Kong (right) is one of many multinational corporations based in the territory. SUPPLIED, FILE
Hong Kong's free market economy and its democratic institutions have allowed it to flourish and become one of the world's most important financial and economic hubs.
It was one of Asia's four "tiger economies" throughout the 20th century along with South Korea, Taiwan and Singapore witnessing rapid economic growth before establishing itself as a high-income economy in the 21st century.
Its economic growth have been underpinned by minimal government market intervention, minimal taxation and an established international financial market, which attracts many corporate headquarters in the Asia-Pacific region.
The territory has also become a gateway for foreign direct investments in China due to its ties to the Chinese stock exchanges, with the Hong Kong Stock exchange also being one of the largest in the world.
Hong Kong is also one of the largest home to Australian expats overseas with 100,000 Aussies living in Hong Kong, and 96,000 people born in Hong Kong living in Australia.
Rising demonstrations in recent years — what might happen next?
Space to play or pause, M to mute, left and right arrows to seek, up and down arrows for volume.
Video 0:50
Hong Kong's Chief Executive said she would never 'sell out' the city
ABC News
The protests, which lasted 77 days, were sparked by China's proposed reforms to the island's electoral system and its rejection for open nominations for Hong Kong's chief executive — it was dubbed the Umbrella Revolution.
It was declared over nearly three months after it kicked off, and police arrested more than a dozen of activists, including elderly people who refused to move.
Now Hong Kong finds itself once again in a similar yet even more concerning situation for Hong Kongers: if the proposed legislation to allow extradition to China goes ahead, many fear their voice and demands for democracy will no longer be heard.
Hundreds of thousands are now demanding that Beijing-backed Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam step down and scrap the extradition bill, even after it was suspended amid debate and an apology forwarded by Ms Lam.
However, so far, Ms Lam has avoided answering questions about whether she would actually step down and appealed to the public to "give us another chance", leaving Hong Kongers future in limbo as it fights for the city lived in and loved by millions for its culture, history, and freedoms.
Meanwhile, the concerns raised have shown little sign of abating, as the 22nd anniversary of its 1997 handover from the British to the Chinese on July 1 — a date usually marked by protests and demands about civil liberties — looms.
Posted earlier today at 3:00amu
Hong Kong came to a standstill once again this week after more than a million protesters filled its streets in protest over a proposed extradition bill for the second week in a row.
Protestors are demanding a proposed new law — which would allow extradition to mainland China — be scrapped, claiming it could be used to stifle political opposition in the Special Administrative Region (SAR) and used to extradite dissidents to China.
However, what is at stake for Hong Kong is far wider in scope than just the recent protests.
Here's how its near-200-year history transitioning from a British colony to an expected-yet-uncertain Chinese state by 2047 shaped the territory while prompting the largest protests in Hong Kong's history.
Where did the 'one country, two systems' policy come from?
Space to play or pause, M to mute, left and right arrows to seek, up and down arrows for volume.
Video 1:22
Protesters and police clash in Hong Kong
ABC News
Hong Kong became a British colony in the mid-19th century, and later the United Kingdom signed a 100-year lease with China to obtain sovereignty over Hong Kong Island and surrounding territories in 1898.
Fast forward to 1949, and controversial reformer Mao Zedong appeared on the cusp of controlling the entire Chinese mainland — the city would, for the first time, think about how it might have to fend off a communist incursion.
In 1984 an agreement was made that would reshape Hong Kong's future when the UK agreed to return the region to China when the hundred year lease expired in 1997 — many Hong Kongers left the region in the years in between fearing Chinese rule.
A timeline of key events
However, it was under the condition that Hong Kong would retain some of its democratic institutions, including its judicial system and independence, for 50 years after the handover, set to expire in 2047.
The agreement of a principle of "one country, two systems" was eventually reached with the idea that Hong Kong could retain a high degree of autonomy while still being a part of China.
Protests have long been in Hong Kong's DNA as a result of such history — in the mid-1960s, for example, it was against British rule, years later, it was again fear of Beijing's creeping power.
Hong Kong's historical status as both a former British colony and a part of China continues to feed into tensions about the territory's rule, politics and its cultural identity.
Hong Kong torn between Western and Chinese identities
Occupy Central Hong Kong protester
PHOTO A protester raises his umbrellas in front of tear gas which was fired by riot police during the 2014 pro-democracy protest. REUTERS: TYRONE SIU
Under British colonial rule, Hong Kong's national ties with mainland China were wound back, and over the years, Hong Kong developed its own cultural identity, associated with its own way of life in attempt to fuse Chinese values and British norms and regulations.
For example, today, Hong Kong's legal system is based on the English Common Law — where the judiciary is independent of the executive and legislative branches of government.
However, the final interpretation of its constitution — referred to as the Basic Law — is still in the hands of a division of the Chinese Communist Party back in Beijing.
Meanwhile, English remains an official language, spoken fluently by half the population and widely seen on national signs and transport, while nearly all Hong Kongers speak Cantonese, a Chinese language native to south-eastern China — in mainland China, though, Mandarin remains the official language.
The crucial distinction in Hong Kong and mainland identities are the difference in general public attitudes towards things like press freedom, freedom of speech, privacy and inequality, according to experts.
People who associate themselves with a Hong Kong identity are more openly willing to defend the region's values — prompting uprisings like the 2014 Umbrella Movement as well — in order to maintain its unique characteristics and cultural identity.
Transition from a 'tiger economy' to a high-income economy
The HSBC headquarters (right) in Hong Kong
PHOTO The HSBC headquarters in Hong Kong (right) is one of many multinational corporations based in the territory. SUPPLIED, FILE
Hong Kong's free market economy and its democratic institutions have allowed it to flourish and become one of the world's most important financial and economic hubs.
It was one of Asia's four "tiger economies" throughout the 20th century along with South Korea, Taiwan and Singapore witnessing rapid economic growth before establishing itself as a high-income economy in the 21st century.
Its economic growth have been underpinned by minimal government market intervention, minimal taxation and an established international financial market, which attracts many corporate headquarters in the Asia-Pacific region.
The territory has also become a gateway for foreign direct investments in China due to its ties to the Chinese stock exchanges, with the Hong Kong Stock exchange also being one of the largest in the world.
Hong Kong is also one of the largest home to Australian expats overseas with 100,000 Aussies living in Hong Kong, and 96,000 people born in Hong Kong living in Australia.
Rising demonstrations in recent years — what might happen next?
Space to play or pause, M to mute, left and right arrows to seek, up and down arrows for volume.
Video 0:50
Hong Kong's Chief Executive said she would never 'sell out' the city
ABC News
The protests, which lasted 77 days, were sparked by China's proposed reforms to the island's electoral system and its rejection for open nominations for Hong Kong's chief executive — it was dubbed the Umbrella Revolution.
It was declared over nearly three months after it kicked off, and police arrested more than a dozen of activists, including elderly people who refused to move.
Now Hong Kong finds itself once again in a similar yet even more concerning situation for Hong Kongers: if the proposed legislation to allow extradition to China goes ahead, many fear their voice and demands for democracy will no longer be heard.
Hundreds of thousands are now demanding that Beijing-backed Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam step down and scrap the extradition bill, even after it was suspended amid debate and an apology forwarded by Ms Lam.
However, so far, Ms Lam has avoided answering questions about whether she would actually step down and appealed to the public to "give us another chance", leaving Hong Kongers future in limbo as it fights for the city lived in and loved by millions for its culture, history, and freedoms.
Meanwhile, the concerns raised have shown little sign of abating, as the 22nd anniversary of its 1997 handover from the British to the Chinese on July 1 — a date usually marked by protests and demands about civil liberties — looms.
Posted earlier today at 3:00amu
Hong Kong exposes China's weak point as Xi meets with Trump and Kim - Analysis & Opinion
Analysis By Ting Shi
Updated about 6 hours ago
A man holds up a sign that reads "The Queen made us Pearl of the Orient. The Communists ruined it."
PHOTO Hong Kong is caught between its British past and Chinese future. ABC NEWS: BRANT CUMMING
Hong Kong protestors have pulled off an astonishing victory in the battle to force their government to walk back a proposed extradition bill that bodes ill for the city's future.
However, the struggle to preserve the status quo that Beijing promised at the handover of the former British colony, is set to continue.
A victory, but a long struggle ahead
The monumental protest on June 16 — which drew about two million people to the streets, according to the organisers — took place despite the bill's infinite suspension being announced the day before.
The equivalent of one member of every household in this city of seven million people took to the streets.
Hong Kong's leader Carrie Lam had to issue a public apology for her administration's deficiencies. It was a noticeable shift from her expression of "sorrow and regret" less than 24 hours earlier.
The rapid cave-in by Ms Lam's Government served as proof that people power still works in China's "special administrative region" (SAR).
protesters march in Hong Kong
PHOTO Demonstrations against the proposed changes have been monumental. AP: VINCENT YU
This is much to the relief of the disillusioned many after a pre-democracy Occupy Central movement was suppressed by the Hong Kong government five years ago.
One former student leader confessed, "I'm most afraid Hong Kong people will not care anymore".
The protests in the past two weeks, "Occupy 2.0" as billed by local press, was more than a mere revival of Occupy activism.
It's the most definitive sign yet that street protest has become special modus operandi for Hong Kong people to fight for their civil rights and extract political concession.
Political activism is now woven into the social fabric of a way of life long known to prize utilitarian values. Cyclical protests can be expected whenever coercion is felt.
This will make Hong Kong SAR even more wayward in the eyes of the Communist Party leadership in Beijing.
Where is Xi Jinping?
If the central Government hasn't vented any overt anger over mass protests in the street, it's because top leader Xi Jinping has got too much going on right now.
He was in Central Asia seeking to shore up regional security framework when Hong Kong streets were boiling, and is heading for Pyongyang tomorrow for his first state visit to North Korea, before a head-to-head, high-stakes trade talk with Donald Trump later this month in Japan.
Composite image of Donald Trump, Xi Jinping and Kim Jong-un
PHOTO Xi Jinping (centre) has meetings planned with US President Donald Trump and North Korea's Kim Jong Un. REUTERS/ KCNA
The distraction of the Hong Kong protests couldn't have happened at a worse time. The leadership in Beijing would not want to simultaneously handle "enemy within" and "enemy without".
So far, Beijing has focused its anger on unspecified "foreign forces" allegedly inflaming tensions on the street.
And what is next for Lam's leadership?
Overall, Beijing's response has been eerily standard.
The authorities in charge of Hong Kong affairs voiced "support, understanding and respect" for the Lam administration's widely criticised handling of the crisis.
But that can't be taken too literally.
It likely only shows Beijing is buying time to think up better strategy.
Beijing also "firmly supported" her predecessor Chun-ying Leung's hardline approach on Occupy protestors at the time, before eventually nudging him out of a second term.
It's also easier to compartmentalise this time than five years ago.
Space to play or pause, M to mute, left and right arrows to seek, up and down arrows for volume.
Video 4:26
Hong Kong identity is torn between two stakeholders
ABC News
The Occupy Central centred around Hong Kong's electoral reforms, something more consequential than the extradition bill, which would provide greater technical support for Beijing's governing over Hong Kong.
China's ambassador to the UK told the BBC last week that Beijing never initiated the bill. And it's not unlikely an eager-to-deliver Ms Lam took the initiative to put forth the bill in February.
There were unconfirmed reports that she met with the Communist Party's top official on Hong Kong and Macau affairs shortly before her Saturday concession.
But the central Government hasn't adopted some key phrases used by the Hong Kong Government, such as labelling the protestors as "rioters".
The mainland officials opted for "violent behaviour" or even "social reaction".
Ms Lam may be safe for now, but there is little doubt Beijing is having a new assessment of her capabilities.
Whatever political capital she has gained by acting as a good "parental" leader has been lost.
The successful landing of Hong Kong on the front page of international press for all the wrong reasons was no laughing matter for Beijing's leadership as it faced an intensifying geopolitical rivalry with Washington.
It is suggested Mr Trump might play the Hong Kong card in the fraught trade negotiation.
Also, the controversy over the extradition bill served as an acute reminder of China's flawed judicial systems. This is not something Beijing would like to share when it's trying to make more friends.
This is incompetence on a scale that's hard to overlook.
Broken trust
Xi Jinping and Carrie Lam
PHOTO Did Beijing pick the wrong person to lead Hong Kong? AP: KIN CHEUNG
Inside Hong Kong, trust is completely broken between the Lam Government and its citizens.
Protestors are still demanding her resignation. Her lack of political judgement, such as only allowing a 20-day consultation on such a critical bill, makes her unfit to govern a people whose sense of political participation is only growing.
Beijing must also be reflecting on why they always pick the wrong person to lead Hong Kong.
It doesn't take a political scientist to figure that out.
An authoritarian regime could only pick a paternalistic leader, which is fundamentally at odds with a Hong Kong population whose political awakening five years ago has now firmly taken root.
Ting Shi is a Hong Kong-based journalist and honorary lecturer at Hong Kong University's journalism school.
Posted about 6 hours ago
Analysis By Ting Shi
Updated about 6 hours ago
A man holds up a sign that reads "The Queen made us Pearl of the Orient. The Communists ruined it."
PHOTO Hong Kong is caught between its British past and Chinese future. ABC NEWS: BRANT CUMMING
Hong Kong protestors have pulled off an astonishing victory in the battle to force their government to walk back a proposed extradition bill that bodes ill for the city's future.
However, the struggle to preserve the status quo that Beijing promised at the handover of the former British colony, is set to continue.
A victory, but a long struggle ahead
The monumental protest on June 16 — which drew about two million people to the streets, according to the organisers — took place despite the bill's infinite suspension being announced the day before.
The equivalent of one member of every household in this city of seven million people took to the streets.
Hong Kong's leader Carrie Lam had to issue a public apology for her administration's deficiencies. It was a noticeable shift from her expression of "sorrow and regret" less than 24 hours earlier.
The rapid cave-in by Ms Lam's Government served as proof that people power still works in China's "special administrative region" (SAR).
protesters march in Hong Kong
PHOTO Demonstrations against the proposed changes have been monumental. AP: VINCENT YU
This is much to the relief of the disillusioned many after a pre-democracy Occupy Central movement was suppressed by the Hong Kong government five years ago.
One former student leader confessed, "I'm most afraid Hong Kong people will not care anymore".
The protests in the past two weeks, "Occupy 2.0" as billed by local press, was more than a mere revival of Occupy activism.
It's the most definitive sign yet that street protest has become special modus operandi for Hong Kong people to fight for their civil rights and extract political concession.
Political activism is now woven into the social fabric of a way of life long known to prize utilitarian values. Cyclical protests can be expected whenever coercion is felt.
This will make Hong Kong SAR even more wayward in the eyes of the Communist Party leadership in Beijing.
Where is Xi Jinping?
If the central Government hasn't vented any overt anger over mass protests in the street, it's because top leader Xi Jinping has got too much going on right now.
He was in Central Asia seeking to shore up regional security framework when Hong Kong streets were boiling, and is heading for Pyongyang tomorrow for his first state visit to North Korea, before a head-to-head, high-stakes trade talk with Donald Trump later this month in Japan.
Composite image of Donald Trump, Xi Jinping and Kim Jong-un
PHOTO Xi Jinping (centre) has meetings planned with US President Donald Trump and North Korea's Kim Jong Un. REUTERS/ KCNA
The distraction of the Hong Kong protests couldn't have happened at a worse time. The leadership in Beijing would not want to simultaneously handle "enemy within" and "enemy without".
So far, Beijing has focused its anger on unspecified "foreign forces" allegedly inflaming tensions on the street.
And what is next for Lam's leadership?
Overall, Beijing's response has been eerily standard.
The authorities in charge of Hong Kong affairs voiced "support, understanding and respect" for the Lam administration's widely criticised handling of the crisis.
But that can't be taken too literally.
It likely only shows Beijing is buying time to think up better strategy.
Beijing also "firmly supported" her predecessor Chun-ying Leung's hardline approach on Occupy protestors at the time, before eventually nudging him out of a second term.
It's also easier to compartmentalise this time than five years ago.
Space to play or pause, M to mute, left and right arrows to seek, up and down arrows for volume.
Video 4:26
Hong Kong identity is torn between two stakeholders
ABC News
The Occupy Central centred around Hong Kong's electoral reforms, something more consequential than the extradition bill, which would provide greater technical support for Beijing's governing over Hong Kong.
China's ambassador to the UK told the BBC last week that Beijing never initiated the bill. And it's not unlikely an eager-to-deliver Ms Lam took the initiative to put forth the bill in February.
There were unconfirmed reports that she met with the Communist Party's top official on Hong Kong and Macau affairs shortly before her Saturday concession.
But the central Government hasn't adopted some key phrases used by the Hong Kong Government, such as labelling the protestors as "rioters".
The mainland officials opted for "violent behaviour" or even "social reaction".
Ms Lam may be safe for now, but there is little doubt Beijing is having a new assessment of her capabilities.
Whatever political capital she has gained by acting as a good "parental" leader has been lost.
The successful landing of Hong Kong on the front page of international press for all the wrong reasons was no laughing matter for Beijing's leadership as it faced an intensifying geopolitical rivalry with Washington.
It is suggested Mr Trump might play the Hong Kong card in the fraught trade negotiation.
Also, the controversy over the extradition bill served as an acute reminder of China's flawed judicial systems. This is not something Beijing would like to share when it's trying to make more friends.
This is incompetence on a scale that's hard to overlook.
Broken trust
Xi Jinping and Carrie Lam
PHOTO Did Beijing pick the wrong person to lead Hong Kong? AP: KIN CHEUNG
Inside Hong Kong, trust is completely broken between the Lam Government and its citizens.
Protestors are still demanding her resignation. Her lack of political judgement, such as only allowing a 20-day consultation on such a critical bill, makes her unfit to govern a people whose sense of political participation is only growing.
Beijing must also be reflecting on why they always pick the wrong person to lead Hong Kong.
It doesn't take a political scientist to figure that out.
An authoritarian regime could only pick a paternalistic leader, which is fundamentally at odds with a Hong Kong population whose political awakening five years ago has now firmly taken root.
Ting Shi is a Hong Kong-based journalist and honorary lecturer at Hong Kong University's journalism school.
Posted about 6 hours ago
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