Fresh Hong Kong clashes signal difficult path for leader

Bloomberg

Hong Kong police clashed with black-clad protesters in a fresh sign of unrest as the city’s China-backed chief executive promised to be more open and inclusive at the turbulent start of her third year in office.
Carrie Lam made the remarks in a ceremony to mark the anniversary of Hong Kong’s return to Chinese rule in 1997, her first public speech in more than a week. Earlier, riot police used pepper spray and batons to push back protesters, some wearing helmets and surgical masks, who had attempted to disrupt the annual event at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center in Wan Chai.
A larger protest was expected later in the day when the Civil Human Rights Front — the group that twice last month turned out historic crowds demanding Lam’s resignation — leads thousands of her critics through the streets.
“What happened in recent months has caused dilemmas and divides between the government and citizens,” Lam said. “It has made me understand that as a politician, I must remind myself I have to accurately get the pulse of the society. I have learned that even with good intentions, I have to be open and inclusive.”
Demonstrators used metal barricades and trash cans to block a road leading to Golden Bauhinia Square in Wan Chai, where Lam was scheduled to speak at a flag-raising ceremony, Radio Television Hong Kong reported.
The ceremony was moved inside the convention centre, with organisers citing rain.
The MTR Corp said that service to its Island, South Island and Tsuen Wan lines was returning to normal, after earlier suspending stops at the Admiralty and Wan Chai stations at the request of police.
The political turmoil raises new questions about China’s stewardship over Hong Kong, almost halfway through its 50-year promise to preserve capitalist markets and personal freedoms in the former British colony.
Lam and her backers in Beijing so far appeared determined to hang on, lest they risk emboldening a more unified opposition bent on stymieing their agenda.
Long story, short: She won’t yield, she won’t budge. The people won’t yield, won’t budge either,” said Claudia Mo, an opposition lawmaker who’s been a prominent participant in recent rallies.
While the opposition coalesced against Lam’s now-suspended proposal to allow extraditions to China, the latest rallies have begun to emphasize demands for greater democracy and criticism of the Communist Party.
The annual July 1 protest march organised by the Civil Human Rights Front, which has drawn as many as 400,000 people in previous years, will test whether activists can keep up the momentum.
Pro-establishment lawmakers are growing more anxious about next year’s elections for the Legislative Council, a body that the opposition could use to block government initiatives.
Starry Lee, chairwoman of the biggest pro-Beijing party, the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong, has urged Lam to acknowledge that the extradition bill has been withdrawn as protesters are demanding.
Felix Chung, who represents the textile and garment industries in the legislature, has called for a Cabinet shake-up to include more diverse views.