U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says President Donald Trump plans to discuss the mass protests in Hong Kong with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping at the upcoming G20 summit in Japan
"I'm sure this will be among the issues that they discuss," Pompeo said in an interview Sunday with Fox News.
Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam apologized Sunday as hundreds of thousands of black-clad protesters maintained calls for her to resign over her handling of a bill that would have allowed people to be sent to mainland China for trial.
Saturday, the Hong Kong chief executive indefinitely delayed the extradition bill.
Protesters formed a sea of black along roads, walkways and train stations across Hong Kong's financial center to vent their frustration and anger at the bill and the government's handling of the resulting demonstrations.
Saturday's dramatic suspension of the bill was one of the most significant political retreats by the Hong Kong government since Britain returned the territory to China in 1997, and it threw into question Lam's ability to continue to lead the city.
The protests are also the largest in Hong Kong since Chinese President Xi Jinping came to power in 2012 and pose a challenge to leaders in Beijing as they grapple with escalating trade tensions with Washington and slowing economic growth.
Critics say the planned extradition law could threaten Hong Kong's rule of law and its international reputation as an Asian financial hub. Some Hong Kong tycoons have already started moving personal wealth offshore.
Some of Sunday's marchers held signs saying, "Do not shoot, we are HongKonger" - an appeal to police who fired rubber bullets and tear gas at protesters on Wednesday, injuring more than 70 people.
A government spokesman said poor government work over the bill had led to "substantial controversies and disputes in society, causing disappointment and grief." The bill had been scheduled for debate last Wednesday.
Political crisis
Chinese censors have been working hard to erase or block news of the protests, wary that any large public rallies could inspire demonstrations on the mainland.
The city's independent legal system was guaranteed under laws governing Hong Kong's return from British to Chinese rule 22 years ago, and is seen by business and diplomatic communities as its strongest asset.
Hong Kong has been governed under a "one country, two systems" formula since then, allowing freedoms not enjoyed in mainland China but not a fully democratic vote.
Many accuse Beijing of extensive meddling, including obstruction of democratic reforms, interference with elections and of being behind the disappearance of five Hong Kong-based booksellers, starting in 2015, who specialized in works critical of Chinese leaders.
The protests have been the largest in the city since crowds came out against the bloody suppression of pro-democracy demonstrations centered around Beijing's Tiananmen Square on June 4, 1989.
