Hong Kong Leader Carrie Lam Says Extradition Bill Is ‘Dead’

Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam said controversial legislation that would allow extraditions to China was “dead,” her strongest indication yet that she would bow to weeks of mass protests and withdraw the bill.

“The bill is dead,” Lam told reporters Tuesday in Hong Kong. “Our work on the extradition bill amendment is a complete failure.”

Still, Lam stopped short of saying she would formally withdraw the legislation after a historic wave of mass protest marches that drew hundreds of thousands of people into the Asian financial center’s streets. Last week, some protesters stormed and ransacked the city’s Legislative Council in an unprecedented escalation.

The legislation would let Hong Kong enter one-time deals to transfer criminal suspects to various jurisdictions, including mainland China. The measure fanned worries among the business community and the city’s democracy advocates about the erosion of the “one country, two systems” framework set up before Hong Kong’s return to China.