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‘Imperial’ China Bows Down To Hong Kong Protests; To Announce Withdrawal Of Controversial Extradition Bill
Pro-democracy activists carry a banner reading ‘no fear’, during a protest in Hong Kong.
In the first step back of the Chinese government in front of the Hong Kong protesters, the communist government is reportedly planning to withdraw the extradition bill that precipitated the current protests.
The controversial bill would have allowed extraditions to mainland China where courts are controlled by the Communist Party. It was was declared ‘dead’ by the leader Carrie Lam after tough opposition, however, was not withdrawn. The withdrawal of the bill remained a major demand of the protesters.
A government source confirmed to Reuters that Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam will announce on Wednesday the formal withdrawal of an extradition bill, reports NDTV.
Hong Kong's benchmark Hang Seng Index jumped after the report, trading up about 3.3 per cent and the property index also jumped 6 percent.
Reuters revealed in an exclusive report on Monday that Lam told business leaders in a closed door meeting last week that she had caused "unforgivable havoc" by introducing the bill.
She added that she now has "very limited" room to resolve the crisis because the unrest has become a national security and sovereignty issue for China amid rising tensions with the United States.
According to a leaked audio recording, Lam said that if she had a choice she would apologise and resign.
The remarks made by Lam in the audio clip are consistent with a Reuters report published on Friday that said that the leaders in Beijing were effectively calling the shots on handling the crisis.
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