Stability essential for Hong Kong's well-being

To bring an end to the protests sparked by the proposed amendments to the special administrative region's extradition law, Hong Kong's Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor announced on Tuesday her administration's decision not to restart the suspended legislative process for the amendments, saying the "bill is dead".

The demonstrations, some of them violent, have threatened the health of the city's economy and thus the well-being of its residents, and Lam also unveiled a raft of practical initiatives aimed at strengthening communication between the SAR government and the public, with the ultimate objective of improving governance in the SAR.

It might be demanding too much of those leading the protests to have the kind of vision and political courage exhibited by the chief executive in her willingness to make compromises in policymaking in the face of public opposition. But they should have the wisdom to realize that persistent political conflict and unrest do not bode well for the city and residents, especially at a time when the local economy is still licking its wounds from the ongoing Sino-US trade row.