Trump weighs in on Hong Kong protests

President Donald Trump on Wednesday asked Chinese President Xi Jinping to “quickly and humanely” resolve the protests in Hong Kong before resuming trade talks with the United States. The pro-democracy uprising that began 10 weeks ago continued this week, temporarily halting travel at the territory’s busy international airport.

Why are they protesting? Protests began in June in opposition to a bill that would have made it easier to extradite criminal suspects to China. Though Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam eventually suspended the bill, protesters asked for her to withdraw it formally and resign. The demonstrations have expanded to push for five major demands, including an investigation into police violence. China has deployed paramilitary troops to Shenzhen, a Chinese city bordering Hong Kong. On Thursday, the protesters apologized to the public for causing the airport to cancel hundreds of flights.

Dig deeper: Read June Cheng’s report on how China has used state-run media to shape the perception of the Hong Kong protests.