Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam hasn't ruled out the possibility that a foreign country has funded political protests that have roiled the city-state over the last nine months.

Asked by CNBC's Geoff Cutmore on Tuesday about who might be backing the demonstrators, who have appeared to be well organized, she said: "Well, I have no conclusive evidence to answer your question, but it is for all to see that what has happened in Hong Kong on this occasion has attracted disproportionate commentary from Western media, from overseas governments and politicians."

"At the same time we have seen riots taking place in other parts of the world, but the disproportionate reporting of Hong Kong has been assessed by an agency on fair reporting in the United States," she said in an interview at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. Several Chinese media reports have pointed to a report by FAIR, a media critique organization based in New York, which was released in December.

"And I do feel that perhaps there is something at work, although I said there hasn't been any conclusive evidence, so there is a bigger picture other than the domestic situation," Lam said.