BEIJING \u2014 Germany on Wednesday told China that it is important to avoid an escalation of political tensions in Hong Kong, warning that investors could back off and that growth could be in jeopardy if the situation boiled over.<\/p>\n
For the past two weeks, hundreds of thousands of Hong Kong residents have taken to the streets to protest against a planned extradition law that would allow Hong Kongs government to extradite citizens to the mainland, where they are not guaranteed fair trials.<\/p>\n
Hong Kongs Beijing-backed leader Carrie Lam has postponed the introduction of the extradition bill and apologized. Protesters, however, want the bill to be fully killed off and are demanding she quit.<\/p>\n
German Economy Minister Peter Altmaier, who is in Beijing for trade and investment talks, began a meeting with Chinese Minister of Commerce Zhong Shan by raising the issue of \u201chuman rights\u201d and the protests in Hong Kong.<\/p>\n