Exclusive | Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam sought Xi Jinping’s approval to formally withdraw extradition bill that triggered anti-government protests
- Revelation comes three weeks after chief executive said she had decided on her own to withdraw the legislation in bid to break the political impasse
- Source close to Hong Kong government says proposal was submitted to Xi’s office for deliberation and approval shortly before September 4 announcement
Hong Kong’s beleaguered leader, Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, had to seek the approval of Chinese President Xi Jinping before she could formally withdraw her contentious extradition bill, sources have told the Post.
The revelation came three weeks after Lam said she had decided on her own initiative to withdraw the legislation in an attempt to start a dialogue with the public and break the current political impasse, and that Beijing understood and respected why the Hong Kong government had to do it.
A source close to the Hong Kong government said the plan to withdraw the bill had been submitted to Xi’s office for deliberation and approval soon before it was announced on September 4.
“The withdrawal of the bill is a crucial decision and, like appointments of principal officials in Hong Kong, it had to be approved by President Xi,” the source said.
“The Hong Kong government does not have much room to manoeuvre on options for handling the political crisis triggered by the bill as the central government considers it in the context of the US-China relationship. It’s no longer just a matter concerning the relationship between Hong Kong and the central government.”