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HONG KONG — Violence in Hong Kong’s anti-government protests is becoming more serious but the government is confident it can handle the crisis itself, the embattled leader of the former British colony said on Tuesday.

Carrie Lam was speaking in public for the first time since demonstrations escalated on Sunday, when police fired water cannon and volleys of tear gas in running battles with protesters who threw bricks and petrol bombs.

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The Chinese-ruled city is grappling with its biggest political crisis since its handover to Beijing in 1997 and Communist Party authorities have sent a clear warning that forceful intervention is possible to quell the violence.

Hong Kong’s Beijing-backed leader said she would not give up on building a platform for dialog, although the time was not right to set up an independent inquiry into the crisis, one of the cornerstone demands of protesters.

“We should prepare for reconciliation in society by communicating with different people … We want to put an end to the chaotic situation in Hong Kong,” Lam said, adding she did not believe her government had lost control.