Hong Kong has been devoured by a ‘sea of black’ amid protests over extradition plans with China: How the intense blowback inspired a historic apology

After drawing fierce backlash and some of the largest protests in Hong Kong’s history, extradition plans between the territory and China have been put on ice and chief executive Carrie Lam has issued a mea culpa as leaders try to quell a growing political crisis.

Widescale demonstrations that at times have blanketed the Asian financial center in a “sea of black” broke out last Sunday over a proposed law that would allow people to be extradited to mainland China, stoking fears that the new rules could be exploited to quash dissidents and political dissent.

Protests continued throughout the week, and hundreds of thousands of black-clad residents continued to swarm the streets this Sunday to call for government leaders to step down, even after the bill was indefinitely tabled on Saturday.

Amid the intense blowback in the territory, which returned to Chinese rule in 1997 after more than 150 years under British authority, Lam issued a statement Sunday admitting “deficiencies” in the government’s process and saying there was no timetable for revisiting the policy.

“The Chief Executive admitted that the deficiencies in the Government’s work had led to substantial controversies and disputes in society, causing disappointment and grief among the people,” the statement read. “The Chief Executive apologised to the people of Hong Kong for this and pledged to adopt a most sincere and humble attitude to accept criticisms and make improvements in serving the public.”

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Sunday that President Donald Trump would discuss the protests with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the G20 summit later this month, according to the AFP.