The region's chief executive says the 'one country, two systems' arrangement could continue if the city shows loyalty to Beijing. Pro-democracy demonstrations in Hong Kong have been ongoing for over six months.
Image: AFP/N. Asfouri
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Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam said Thursday that the "one country, two systems" status may go beyond the 2047 deadline currently set in place.
When Hong Kong was handed over from British to Chinese rule in 1997 it was given more freedoms than mainland China, with a promise that it would maintain its own capitalist economy and Western-style institutions for 50 years.
That framework may continue, as Lam said: "Only if we insist on implementing the 'one country, two systems' principle and practice it continuously and fully ... then I think there will be enough grounds for 'one country, two systems' to move ahead smoothly and there would be no change after 2047."
Hong Kong: University campus turns into battleground
Violence in Hong Kong ratcheted up in two days of campus protests that had demonstrators attempting escape through the sewer system. Hong Kong Polytechnic University was turned into a battleground.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/Y. Aung Thu
The store room
Protesters stand in a supply room at Hong Kong Polytechnic University, the last campus to hold out in a week of violent protests in Hong Kong. As the number of protesters dwindled to around 100 on Tuesday, demonstrators said food and other supplies were running low.
Image: Reuters/A. Abidi
Security forces
A riot police officer fires tear gas at anti-government protesters. In a dramatic moment, officers fired tear gas at protesters as they escaped down a rope descending from a footbridge.
Image: picture-alliance/Kyodo
Protester violence
A protester holds a burning molotov cocktail during protests. Protesters assaulted police trying to enter the campus with the homemade explosives as well as arrows and bricks.
Image: Reuters/A. Perawongmetha
Masked crusader
A demonstrator sports a face-concealing mask. On Monday, the Hong Kong High Court ruled that the mask ban enacted over a month ago was unconstitutional. On Tuesday, a Chinese state media outlet condemned the decision to veto the ban and said that only China has the authority to rule on constitutional matters in Hong Kong.
Image: picture-alliance/Zuma/I. Abreu
The not-so-great escape
A protester tries to escape through a sewage tunnel. Around a dozen protesters tried to escape the university protests through the sewage system, but we're forced to turn back.
Image: Reuters/A. Abidi
A word from abroad
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the US was "gravely concerned" about recent developments in Hong Kong. He stressed that the US believes the government in Hong Kong is responsible for restoring peace.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/AP Photo/A. Harnik
Stranded on campus
Young people go through a security control point set up at Hong Kong Polytechnic University on Tuesday morning. A group of parents and pastors called for police to let the students leave. They claimed that many were peaceful protesters who were stuck in campus for fear of being arrested for rioting.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/N. Guan
Hundreds injured
Emergency service workers remove a man from the campus. More than 200 people have been injured in two days of violent clashes
In her first appearance at the Legislative Council since October, Lam suggested that for the system to continue, the people of Hong Kong would need to show loyalty to Beijing.
The protests were triggered by proposed legislation that could have seen criminal suspects extradited to face trials in mainland China, rather than in Hong Kong.
While the legislation was eventually scrapped, the movement grew to take on new demands, including calls for universal suffrage and an independent investigation into police conduct, as well as the resignation of Lam.
