Beijing says it 'firmly' supports Hong Kong leader

Beijing on Tuesday threw its backing behind Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam after an audio recording emerged of her saying she wanted to quit over three months of unrest in the semi-autonomous city.

"We firmly support Hong Kong chief executive Carrie Lam in leading the SAR (special administrative region) government," Yang Guang, spokesman for the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of China's central government, said at a press conference.