Hong Kong extradition bill crisis: government’s relationship with pro-establishment camp takes a hit, as Carrie Lam accused of going it alone
- Priscilla Leung says chief executive failed to consult bloc before suspending bill
- Senior mainland Chinese official accuses protesters of using violence every time they demonstrate
Hong Kong’s extradition bill saga has taken a toll on the government’s relationship with the pro-establishment bloc, as a Beijing-friendly lawmaker on Tuesday accused the city’s leader of going it alone without communicating with her allies.
Priscilla Leung Mei-fun, vice-chairwoman of the pro-Beijing Business and Professionals Alliance for Hong Kong, said the government had paid the price for pressing ahead with the bill. But she urged protesters not to pressure the government by seeking international attention, with President Xi Jinping and his US counterpart Donald Trump set to meet on the sidelines of the G20 leaders’ summit in Osaka this weekend.
Senior mainland Chinese official Li Fei, who chairs the Constitution and Law Committee under Beijing’s top legislative body, the National People’s Congress Standing Committee, commented for the first time on the major protests triggered by the bill.
“Hong Kong is a city with the rule of law. You can express your opinion through peaceful rallies. But I cannot understand why violence has to be used every time they protest against the government,” he said in Beijing on Tuesday morning.
“No matter how worried you are [about the bill], you cannot break the law and cause harm to police.”
Hong Kong’s embattled government was again lying low this week in the face of continuing opposition to the now-suspended bill, with the city’s leader cancelling Tuesday’s weekly cabinet meeting.