16th December, 2019
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang met with Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam in Beijing on Monday, saying the Asian financial hub was not yet out of the “dilemma” facing the city’s economy after months of sometimes violent protests.
Li met with Lam during a regular duty visit where she is also due to hold a potentially pivotal meeting with President Xi Jinping.
The meetings come after Hong Kong police fired tear gas in late-night street clashes with anti-government protesters on Sunday as the former British colony’s worst political crisis in decades drags on into the seventh month.
“Hong Kong right now has not stepped out of its dilemma,” Li said in his meeting with Lam, the opening remarks of which were broadcast by Cable TV. “The SAR (special administrative region) government must continue its efforts, end violence and stop the chaos in accordance with the law and restore order.”