The recently proposed extradition bill would have changed that by creating an opening for China to capture people suspected of crimes — a move that strikes at the core of Hong Kong’s values.

Mainland Chinese were among the millions of people in Hong Kong who have been protesting the bill, with hundreds of recent immigrants signing a petition opposing the proposal.

Quotable: “You feel like you are in a port of freedom but authoritarianism is approaching,” said Ma Jian, an author whose first book was banned in China, prompting him to move to Hong Kong in 1986. He is now settled in London.

The latest: The territory’s top official, Carrie Lam, apologized again for introducing the measure, which has been suspended, but she didn’t concede to protesters’ demands to withdraw the bill entirely. She also said she wouldn’t step down.