Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam said on Thursday that China "understands, respects and supports" her government's move to formally withdraw an extradition bill, part of measures she hoped would help the city "move forward" from months of unrest.
In a news conference, Lam was repeatedly questioned on why it took her so long to withdraw the bill that would have allowed extraditions to mainland China despite increasingly violent protests, but she skirted the questions.
"It is not exactly correct to describe this as a change of mind," she said.