Now, amid huge protests over a controversial extradition bill, Hong Kong's chief executive Carrie Lam announced that the legislation will be postponed indefinitely.
Speaking to reporters on Saturday, Lam said that the bill had caused a lot of division in society.
She also said that the legislative process would be put on hold without any deadline and that she hopes to restore public order.
If passed, the bill would legally allow Hong Kong residents and Chinese or foreign nationals traveling through Hong Kong to be extradited to mainland China.
The postponement came after a week of massive demonstrations and street violence with citizens opposing the bill claiming that it would undermine the independence of Hong Kong's legal system and put its citizens and foreign nationals at risk.