Xi Jinping Says Hong Kong Government Managed To Restore Stability

Hong Kong's government has managed to restore order and end violence over the past year by complying with the National Security Protection Law, Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Wednesday

BEIJING (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 22nd December, 2021) Hong Kong's government has managed to restore order and end violence over the past year by complying with the National Security Protection Law, Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Wednesday.

"The measures taken by the Administration of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, headed by Carrie Lam, helped Hong Kong integrate into the general course of development of the PRC," President Xi said during his meeting with Lam, as quoted by China's Xinhua news agency.

President Xi also commended Lam's work in combating СOVID-19 and restoring the economy and social stability in the region.

Mass protests against the extradition law reform arose in Hong Kong in June 2019.

After large-scale demonstrations, the Hong Kong authorities made concessions, and the bill was withdrawn. Nevertheless, the protests did not stop, and while they became fewer in number, they turned more violent. For six months, over 900 demonstrations, marches and protests took place in Hong Kong, during or in connection with which more than 9,200 people were arrested.

On June 30, 2020, China introduced the National Security Law in Hong Kong in response to massive pro-democracy protests that swept through the city the previous year. Under the law, subversion, secession, cooperation with foreign forces, and terrorist acts are all prohibited, with each violation carrying a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.