The chief executive must stop hoping the IPCC report will placate protesters. The recent statement by international experts provides Lam with a cast-iron case to take to Beijing in favour of an independent commission of inquiry into the protests.
The campuses of Hong Kong's universities are peppered with faculty buildings that bear the names of their generous sponsors, mostly prosperous business tycoons and their heirs and successors.
As Occupy Central's civil referendum draws to a close, we can afford to pause and reflect on the old maxim that a week is a long time in politics.
When Martin Lee and I decided to undertake our recent trip to the United States and Canada in response to invitations from the Asia Society and the Asia Pacific Foundation, we knew to expect a barrage of criticism from the central government authorities and pro-Beijing forces in Hong Kong.
The torrent of criticism unleashed upon Professor Benny Tai Yiu-ting's initiative to "Let Love and Peace Occupy Central" is truly astonishing. Leading the charge are the China Daily and local pro-Beijing newspapers which have been publishing an unrelenting stream of articles and opinion pieces, accusing those who support the movement of being determined to break the law just for the sake of it.
China has the potential to be a force for tremendous good in the world. Already, it is using its considerable fiscal reserves to invest heavily in economic and transport infrastructure in Africa and Latin America, supporting the construction of roads, railways, ports and mines.