Officials have canceled flights at Hong Kong's airport. The territory's leader says demonstrations could push Hong Kong "down a path of no return" and claimed that protesters had created "a state of panic and chaos."
Image: AFP/P. Fong
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Just hours after travel to and from Hong Kong resumed on Tuesday, a new round of protests succeeded in shutting down the territory's global transit hub all over again.
"Terminal operations at Hong Kong International Airport have been seriously disrupted, and all check-in processes have now been suspended," a statement on the airport website read. "Affected passengers please contact their respective airlines for flight arrangement."
Speaking at a press conference earlier Tuesday, the semiautonomous territory's leader, Carrie Lam, said demonstrations could push Hong Kong "down a path of no return" and claimed that protesters had created "a state of panic and chaos."
"Hong Kong, as an open, free, very tolerant, economically stable city, will see severe wounds," Lam said.
Lam defended officers and said protests threatened the drag the city into the "abyss"Image: Reuters/T. Peter
'Smashed to pieces?'
Protests began 10 weeks ago in opposition to a bill that would allow the territory to extradite people facing criminal charges to mainland China, but the movement has expanded to include wider calls for democracy. Demonstrators say they want to fight the erosion of the "one country, two systems" arrangement that, on paper, had enshrined some autonomy for Hong Kong when China took it back from Britain in 1997. They have also documented excessive force by police, who have attempted to put down demonstrations with tear gas and bean bag pellets fired at close range.
Ai Weiwei on Hong Kong
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At Tuesday's press conference, Lam did not address protesters' demands for an independent inquiry — or her resignation. "I ask everybody to put aside our differences and calm down, take a minute to look at our city, our home," Lam said. "Can we bear to push it into the abyss and see it smashed to pieces?"
Reporters repeatedly interrupted Lam on Tuesday. She dodged a question about whether she had the power to end the standoff by granting one of the key demands of the protesters: to fully withdraw the now-suspended bill that would allow extraditions to mainland China.
Protesters held a sit-in rally on Monday, shutting down operations at the airportImage: picture-alliance/AP Photo/V. Thian
Defending officers, Lam said police were bound by "rigid and stringent guidelines on the appropriate use of force" and faced "extremely difficult circumstances."
The United States, Canada and European Union have called on all sides to show restraint and avoid violence that could escalate the situation in one of the world's main business hubs. In addition to weak data from India and Singapore, protests have fed investor anxiety. Hong Kong's Hang Seng index fell dropped by about 2%. Regional benchmarks —Shanghai, Tokyo, Sydney — retreated.
Hong Kong protests rattle global firms
Global companies, including Walt Disney and Marriot, are feeling the heat of the protests. Hong Kong officials are warning of more pains ahead as the financial hub reels from its worst political crisis in decades.
Image: imago/Photoshot/Construction Photography
Disneyland footfall drops
The unrest in Hong Kong is prompting people to stay away from Walt Disney's Disneyland theme park in the city. The US company's chief executive, Bob Iger, told analysts that visits to the park were significantly suffering because of the protests. "We will feel it in the quarter that we’re currently in, and we’ll see how long the protests go on," he said on an earnings call.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/C. Jialiang
Turbulence at Cathay Pacific
Hong Kong's flagship carrier said ticket sales fell in July as fewer people travelled into the city. The protests are also hurting future bookings at the airline. Cathay Pacific found itself into further trouble after Beijing asked the airline to bar crew members who had taken part in the demonstrations from flying into mainland China.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/D. De La Rey
Hotel business hit
Intercontinental Hotels, which owns Crowne Plaza and Holiday Inn chains, said earlier this month the unrest in Hong Kong was hurting demand. Declining tourist and corporate arrivals are also putting a strain on the businesses of Marriot and Wynn hotels, who expect the protests to hit their second-half results.
Image: picture-alliance/J. Hoelzl
Luxury shoppers stay away
The unrest has taken a toll on popular luxury brands such as Cartier and Prada, which have built a strong presence in the city to cater to the rising affluent consumers from mainland China. Cartier-owner Richemont said its sales were hit because of store closures and a fall in tourist arrivals, especially from China. Italian fashion brand Prada's business was also affected by the protests.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/Z. Junxiang
Retail sales fall
Retail sales, a key part of the city's economy, fell nearly 7% in June, hurt by the mass protests. Shopkeepers see a steeper fall in July and August. They say tourist arrivals halved last month.
Image: Getty Images/A. Kwan
'Difficult economic environment'
Hong Kong Financial Secretary Paul Chan warned on Sunday that the city was entering "a very difficult economic environment" amid weakening trade and slowing growth. He said the protests had hurt Hong Kong's reputation of being a safe city for tourists and businesses. The city's leader, Carrie Lam, has already warned of the economic fallout from the unrest.
