Hong Kong - Hong Kong's embattled leader Carrie Lam on Tuesday
denied reports that she would resign if she could as the city faced
its worst political crisis since its return to Chinese rule in 1997.
"Until now, I have never tendered a resignation to the central
people's government," Lam said, referring to China's top leadership
in Beijing.
"I have not even contemplated to discuss a resignation
with the central people's government."
Lam's comments come the day after a leaked audio recording of remarks
she made to business leaders in a closed-door meeting were published
by the Reuters news agency.
In the audio, Lam can be heard saying that for a "chief executive to
have caused this huge havoc to Hong Kong is unforgivable. If I have a
choice the first thing [to do] is to quit."
Addressing questions about the recording, Lam said she was very
"disappointed" the audio had been shared and was misunderstood.
"I attempted to explain that as an individual, given the very
difficult circumstances, it might be an easy choice to leave, but I
have told myself repeatedly in the last two months that I and my team
should stay on to help Hong Kong," she said.
The story follows a similar report in the Financial Times in
mid-July that said Lam had tried to resign on several occasions but
had been denied by Beijing.
Lam has become a target of anti-government protests that have roiled
the Asian financial hub since June after she championed a bill that
would allow for residents to be extradited to mainland China.
Hong Kong, a former British colony, is a semi-autonomous city that in
1997 Beijing promised special rights and privileges to for a period
of 50 years.