HITTING PAUSE

Hong Kong's leader is apologizing and hitting the pause button on a controversial extradition bill.

Tell me about it...

The bill would allow Hong Kong to extradite some criminal suspects to China and Taiwan. Supporters are hoping it'll be implemented to send a Hong Kong man to Taiwan to face charges over the murder of his girlfriend. Critics are hoping it won't, fearing the bill would make it easier for China to get its hands on political dissidents.

What did the people of Hong Kong say?

Last week, hundreds of thousands took to the streets to protest this bill. At one point, police fired tear gas and rubber bullets into a crowd blocking lawmakers from debating it. The debate was delayed but the vote was still expected to happen this week.

"Was" meaning...not anymore?

Correct. The protests got Hong Kong's leader, Carrie Lam, to suspend the bill indefinitely. Protesters said 'not enough.' Yesterday, nearly 2 million turned out, according to organizers. They called for Lam's resignation, for protesters to be released from jail, and for the bill to be fully withdrawn (not just suspended). Yesterday, Lam issued a rare apology for how this bill was handled. But she hasn't resigned or addressed the other demands.

Wait so what happened to the bill?

Lam still hasn't withdrawn it. And you'll keep hearing about it since this bill has led to more concerns of China's influence in Hong Kong.

What's their relationship again?

Hong Kong has a unique status from mainland China. In 1997, the former British colony was handed back to China – but the deal was that Hong Kong would get some autonomy (think: its own laws, justice system, and economy) for 50 years. That deal expires in 2047, at which point Hong Kong will be fully part of China.

Now what?

This has become Hong Kong's biggest political crisis in years. And shows just how much tension lies beneath the surface of Hong Kong's relationship with China. How it handles this bill (and the reaction to it) could be telling for how things will go down when China takes the reins in 2047.

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