Hong Kong withdraws extradition bill

The Hong Kong government on Wednesday agreed to comply with the original demand from protesters who sparked social upheaval months ago, but demonstrations likely will continue. Secretary for Security John Lee said the government withdrew a controversial extradition bill on Wednesday because of “conflicts in society.”

Is this a win for democracy in Hong Kong? The bill would have allowed for the extradition of criminal suspects to China, where they could have faced unfair trials. Since the demonstrations began, protesters have adopted five key demands for reform that include universal suffrage and the resignation of Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam. But China is already working to replace Lam as early as March of next year, the Financial Times reported on Wednesday. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying denied the report as a rumor.

Dig deeper: Read June Cheng’s story on how older volunteers are protecting the protesters during the unrest.