Hong Kong withdraws China extradition bill as Beijing bows to protesters after months of demonstrations

Hong Kong’s chief executive has announced the formal withdrawal of a controversial extradition bill that sparked weeks of unrest, finally meeting a key demand of the protest movement.

In a pre-recorded video message, Carrie Lam said the government was scrapping the bill “in order to fully allay public concerns”. She had met pro-Beijing politicians earlier on Wednesday to inform them of her decision.

The news prompted a surge in Hong Kong stocks. As well as the commitment to withdraw the bill the next time the city’s legislative council meets, Ms Lam also promised to start meeting citizens and protest leaders so that they could “air their grievances”. The government had previously said it would only engage in dialogue once the situation had “calmed down”.

Hong Kong has been experiencing near-daily protests for the better part of 14 weeks, as anger at the proposed new bill allowing the extradition of criminal suspects to mainland China spiralled into a broader movement demanding greater democratic rights.

Ms Lam has previously said the now-suspended extradition bill was “dead”, and promised it would not be revived in the current legislative term. But this was not enough to placate protesters, who made the complete withdrawal of the bill a key tenet of their so-called five demands. Other demands include an amnesty from prosecution for protesters, and the right to universal suffrage in the election of Hong Kong’s leader.

Wednesday’s announcement was “too little too late”, said the activist Joshua Wong, a leader in the 2014 Umbrella Movement who has also emerged as a key figure in the current crisis.

“The intensified police brutality in the previous weeks has left an irreversible scar on the entire Hong Kong society,” he said, demanding the government listen to “all five demands” including an independent investigation into police conduct.

Authorities have employed water cannons, tear gas, rubber bullets and batons against demonstrators, with more than 1,100 people having been detained across the months of protests.

In the televised statement, Ms Lam said the government could not accept the other demands. Nonetheless, she named two new members to join an official police watchdog that has been tasked with investigating the matter.

It is unclear why Beijing has decided now to give in to at least one of the protesters’ demands. It is inconceivable that Ms Lam would attempt to withdraw the bill without the consent of the Central People’s Government, and she has admitted this week that she has little room for manoeuvre in appeasing both the central government and the people of Hong Kong.

Last week the Reuters news agency reported that Ms Lam had proposed the full withdrawal of the bill as a way to ease tensions some time ago, but that the central government rejected the idea.

On Monday, the release of a leaked audio recording revealed Ms Lam had told business leaders she took responsibility for unleashing “unforgivable havoc” on the city with the hugely unpopular bill. At the time it was introduced, Ms Lam argued that the extradition bill would prevent criminals from all over the world using Hong Kong as a safe haven.

In the recording, Ms Lam could be heard saying that she would have liked to “quit” as leader if she could. At a news conference on Tuesday, she said she had never tendered her resignation to Beijing. ”Not resigning was my own choice … I have not given myself the choice to take an easier path and that is to leave,” she said.

Meanwhile, the unrest showed no sign of easing on Tuesday night, with riot police and protesters again clashing in a metro station and outside the Mong Kok police station.

And the unrest in Hong Kong showed no sign of ending today. Politician Michael Tien said the withdrawal of the bill would not stop people taking to the streets if it is not accompanied by other concessions.

“It is too little, too late. The focus now has completely shifted. Most people do not remember what the bill is about but are more concerned about the escalating violence and alleged police heavy-handedness against protesters,” he said.

He said Ms Lam had rejected his call for an independent inquiry, which would have the power to summon witnesses, on the ground that it would overlap with the police watchdog probe.

Pro-democracy lawmaker Claudia Mo said the protesters are adamant that all their demands, including calls for direct elections, are fulfilled. She mocked Ms Lam’s bid to seek dialogue to address public grievances.

“She has been fast asleep these three months, this is just absurd,” Ms Mo said. “The scars and wounds are still bleeding, and she thinks she can just use some garden hose to put out the hill fire. That is not acceptable.”

Additional reporting by agencies