Carrie Lam, chief executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), announced the work on the fugitive bill is "dead."
"The tension, confrontations and anger of Hong Kong citizens come completely from the government proposing the fugitive bill," Lam told reporters during a press conference on Tuesday.
"And there are still lingering doubts about the government's sincerity or worries (about) whether the government will restart the process with the Legislative Council. So I reiterate here, there is no such plan. The bill is dead," Carrie Lam said.
"Saddened and shocked" by recent unrest, Carrie Lam also vowed to restore citizens' "fragile" confidence on government, proposing to establish an open platform where citizens with different views could communicate with the government in a peaceful and orderly manner.
Still, Carrie Lam expressed willingness to have open dialogues with students in the future.
"I see the discontent among citizens and that reflects a deep problem in our society. The government will not ignore the problem but face it," Carrie Lam said. "We hope to put aside disputes and together find a way out for Hong Kong."