Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam said Tuesday that the city faces multiple challenges in the new year, including violence, economic tribulation and a health scare as anti-government
protests enter their eighth month.
The mass protests began in June to oppose proposed extradition legislation that would have allowed Hong Kong residents to be sent to stand trial in mainland China, where activists are routinely jailed.
A former
British colony, Hong Kong was returned to
China in 1997 under the framework of “one country, two systems," which promises the territory certain rights not afforded to the mainland.