Hong Kong leader Lam heads for Beijing as pressure mounts at home

HONG KONG: Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam left for Beijing on Saturday (Dec 14) for her first visit to the Chinese capital since her government was handed a crushing defeat in local elections last month, prompting speculation about changes to her leadership team.

Lam is due to discuss the political and economic situation in Hong Kong with Beijing officials during a four-day visit. She will meet Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday, local media have said.

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Hong Kong has been convulsed by daily and often violent protests for the last six months as demonstrations against a now-withdrawn extradition bill broadened into demands for greater democratic freedom.

READ: Five held over man's death in Hong Kong protests

Hundreds of thousands of people marched last Sunday to protest against what is seen as Beijing undermining freedoms guaranteed when the former British colony was handed back to China in 1997.

Many young protesters are also angry at Lam's government, charging it with failing to address social inequality issues in one of the world's most expensive cities.

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This week Lam said a cabinet reshuffle was not an "immediate task" and she would focus her efforts on restoring law and order to Hong Kong.

Still there are doubts about how long Beijing is willing to back her. Especially after pro-democracy candidates won nearly 90 per cent of the seats in district elections last month.

A city divided: Hong Kongs 6 months of tumultuous protests

EXPLORE: Voices of Hong Kong, an interactive special

China has condemned the unrest and blamed foreign interference. It denies that it iRead More – Source