Carrie Lam, chief executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), has announced that 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.

(File Photo: VCG)

"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," Lam said.

"Saddened and shocked" by recent unrest, Lam vowed to restore citizens' "fragile" confidence in the government, proposing to establish an open platform where citizens with different views could communicate with the government in a peaceful and orderly manner.

She also reiterated her 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," Lam said. "We hope to put aside disputes and together find a way out for Hong Kong."

Lam stressed that the rule of law is the most important value in Hong Kong, which is also the guarantee to implement the principle of "one country, two systems."

Also on Tuesday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang told reporters that the central government supports, understands and respects the decision made by the authorities in the HKSAR to suspend the region's fugitive amendment bill.