Hong Kong's Carrie Lam denies 'quitting' after audio leak

Hong Kong, Sep 3 (ANI): Hong Kong's embattled leader, Carrie Lam, on Tuesday said she had not tendered resignation to Beijing, nor even "contemplated to discuss a resignation" with her mainland superiors.
Lam's remarks came a day after an audio recording emerged of her saying she would quit if she had "a choice", CNN reported.
In a press conference earlier on Tuesday, Lam told reporters, "The choice of not resigning is my own choice."
"I told myself repeatedly in the past few months that I -- and my team -- should stay on to help Hong Kong and to help Hong Kong in a very difficult situation," Lam added.
In addition, Lam said that the primary goal for the city's government is to stop the violence.
"I'd rather stay on and walk this path together with my team and the people of Hong Kong," she said.
To achieve the goal, the rule of law must be upheld to handle illegal acts, said Lam, adding that dialogue with all walks of life in Hong Kong, especially with the young generation, is the best way to change the antagonism within the Hong Kong society.
In the recording obtained by Reuters on Monday, Lam told a group of business leaders that she deeply regretted pushing the controversial extradition bill that first sparked mass demonstrations in June, but insisted that it had been her decision to do so.
In the audio, the leader was also heard saying that her inability "to offer a political situation in order to relieve the tension" was her "biggest sadness."
The remarks came in the backdrop of the months of political crisis spearheaded by anti-democracy protests across the region over the controversial extradition bill that threatened to transfer criminal suspects to mainland China for further prosecution.
The law has been shelved, but Lam has been unable to end the upheaval.
The anti-democracy protesters have expanded their demands to include complete withdrawal of the proposal, a concession that the Hong Kong administration has so far refused. (ANI)