China softens tone towards HK, but refuses to yield on demands

Bloomberg

China softened its tone towards Hong Kong’s protesters, saying peaceful demonstrations were allowed under the law, even as it ruled out a fundamental demand for direct democracy that has
fuelled the unrest.
In a wide-ranging briefing in Beijing, Chinese officials overseeing Hong Kong sought to make a clear distinction between violent protesters who have thrown petrol bombs in running battles with police and others who have marched peacefully through the former British colony. They also strongly backed Chief Executive Carrie Lam, saying an emergency law could be implemented if necessary and pledging support for the economy.
“The majority of Hong Kong’s citizens, including many young students, are taking part in peaceful demonstrations and have made other appeals,” said Yang Guang, a spokesman for the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office. “They are totally different from those who break the law, commit violent crimes and challenge the bottom line of ‘one country, two systems.’”
While officials repeatedly condemned violence by a “few thugs” and a “handful of rioters,” the support for peaceful protest marked a shift in emphasis in dealing with a movement that opposes China’s grip over the city.
Chinese officials were trying to drive a wedge between the radical “front line” protesters — often clad in gas masks and yellow hardhats — and more moderate critics of Beijing, said Ivan Choy, a senior politics lecturer at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. “The government also knows that, if you want to settle the problem, you have to cut the ties between the peaceful protesters and the radical protesters,” Choy said.
Hong Kong has been governed under a “one country, two systems” framework since its return from the British in 1997, guaranteeing its freedom of expression, independent courts and capitalist financial system. The unrest has prompted concerns that China might step in to crack down on the protesters.
Officials reaffirmed their power to deploy troops or otherwise invoke emergency powers, if things got out of control.
Xu Luying, another spokesperson for the Chinese office overseeing Hong Kong, said it would be “absolutely wrong” to assume that deploying troops would mean the end of “one country, systems.”
Lam addressed a Reuters report of a leaked audio recording in which she said she had “very, very, very limited” room to meet the demands of protesters and would quit “if I had the choice.” Speaking to reporters, she said she had “not even contemplated to discuss a resignation with the central people’s government.”
China said it continued to firmly back Lam. Officials dismissed a key protester demand for “true universal suffrage,” in some of Beijing’s most extensive remarks on the issue since a 2014 edict outlining plans for future chief executive elections that triggered the Occupy protests.

Never sought Beijing’s nod to quit: Lam
Bloomberg

Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam said she never asked China for permission to resign over the historic unrest rocking the city, while acknowledging that she discussed her struggles in a closed-door meeting.
Lam denounced as “unacceptable” the leak of taped remarks she made to a gathering of business people. Lam told a news briefing that she was committed to steering the city through the unrest, and only attempted to explain privately that it would be “an easy choice” for anyone in her position to leave.
“I have never tendered a resignation to the central people’s government,” Lam told reporters.