Hong Kong’s embattled leader, Carrie Lam, shelved the bill — which would have allowed extraditions to mainland China — on Saturday and followed that up with a rare apology on Sunday evening, actions that pro-democracy activists dismissed as too little, too late.

Organizers estimated that close to two million people protested on Sunday. In contrast to Wednesday, police officers stood by on Sunday in a crowd-control role, with no altercations or arrests reported.

Protesters’ demands: The complete withdrawal of the bill, not just an indefinite suspension; an impartial investigation into the police use of force during Wednesday’s clashes with protesters; and the rescinding of the official description of that protest as an illegal riot. Many are now calling for the resignation of Mrs. Lam.

Xi Jinping’s image: The retreat on the proposal suggests there are still limits to the Chinese president’s power, especially involving events outside the mainland, even as he has governed with an increasingly authoritarian grip.

Background reading: The murder case of a 20-year-old lit the fuse in Hong Kong, leading to the extradition bill and the protests that followed.