"I indicated during the talks that the rights and freedoms agreed upon in Hong Kong's Basic Law should be safeguarded," Merkel was quoted as saying by Radio Television Hong Kong (RTHK).
She added that the conflict in Hong Kong should be settled through dialogue and not violence.
The mass protests in Hong Kong started in early June as a reaction to the extradition bill but have since grown into a full-blown opposition movement. Protesters are now demanding the resignation of Chief Executive Carrie Lam, a retraction of the local government’s classification of the violent clashes as riots, independent inquiry into police violence and the release of everyone arrested in clashes.
On Wednesday, Lam announced her decision to formally withdraw the bill as part of efforts to ease tensions between protesters and police. However, the public has said it would continue rallying until she met all their demands.
