[7] In January 2018, Lam again handed out HK$500 million in extra funding to the Hong Kong's public hospitals amid the deluge of winter flu cases and a severe shortage of nursing staff.

The funds would be drawn by the Hong Kong Hospital Authority from its own reserve of HK$1 billion and would later be reimbursed by the government in the financial year 2018/19.

The European Union issued a statement warning that banning Chow from the by-election "risks diminishing Hong Kong’s international reputation as a free and open society".

"[11] In the November 2018 Kowloon West by-election, the candidacy of the ousted legislator Lau Siu-lai was also disqualified by the Returning Officer as her advocated for "self-determination" on her 2016 electoral platform.

[16] The event was opposed by the governments of China and Hong Kong, because the issue of independence supposedly crossed one of the "bottom lines" on national sovereignty.

[19] Mallet was subjected to a four-hour interrogation by immigration officers on his return from Thailand on Sunday 7 October before he was finally allowed to enter Hong Kong on a seven-day tourist visa.

Lam entering the venue side-by-side with Xi and ahead of Macau Chief Executive Fernando Chui and First Vice Premier Han Zheng.

[28] On 12 December 2018, the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) announced it would not take any "further investigative action" against Leung Chun-ying over his recipient of HK$50 million from the Australian engineering firm UGL, ending the four-year marathon probe.

The Department of Justice also issued a statement claiming there was "insufficient evidence to support a reasonable prospect of conviction" against Leung for any criminal offence.

[29] Carrie Lam defended Secretary for Justice Teresa Cheng who was strongly criticised for not following the conventional procedure of seeking external legal advice in the UGL case.

Lam said Cheng had made a profession call and she hoped the UGL saga, which had been a point of contention for four years, could finally end.

[30] In January 2019, the Lam administration announced that the age threshold for elderly Comprehensive Social Security Assistance (CSSA) would jump from 60 to 65, starting in February.

The Lam government also made an U-turn by suspending the controversial plan to impose a HK$200 penalty on Hong Kong's senior citizens claiming welfare payments without joining a job programme.

[31] Amid the UGL case and the mismanagements, the average score of Carrie Lam further plunged to a new low in mid January to 50.9 in the poll by the University of Hong Kong, dropping 5.5 points from the previous month.

[36] Opposition expressed fears about the city opening itself up to the long arm of mainland Chinese law and Hongkongers could be victimised under a different legal system and urged the government to establish an extradition arrangement with Taiwan only.

[42][43] On the same day, eight commissioners from the U.S. Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC) wrote to Chief Executive Carrie Lam asking that the bill be "withdrawn from consideration", stating that "the proposed legislation would irreparably damage Hong Kong's cherished autonomy and protections for human rights by allowing the Chinese government to request extradition of business persons, journalists, rights advocates, and political activists residing in Hong Kong."

[47] She refused to draw in to the questions of whether she would fulfil her promise that she would resign "if mainstream opinion makes me no longer able to continue the job" in her 2017 Chief Executive election campaign, only saying that it was important to have a stable governing team "at a time when our economy is going to undergo some very severe challenges because of external uncertainties.

However within three hours, Lam released another video with a turn of the tone, strongly reprimanding protesters for the "blatant, oragnised riot" and condemning it as "not an act of love for Hong Kong.

"[50] After the intense violent clashes, Carrie Lam finally backed down and announced a pause in the passage of the extradition bill on 15 June.

[57] The government issued a statement in the evening where Carrie Lam apologised to Hong Kong residents and promised to "sincerely and humbly accept all criticism and to improve and serve the public.

[59] Amid the social upheaval, Lam saw her approval rating fall to a record low of 23% and her disapproval rise to 67%, according to a survey released by the University of Hong Kong's Public Opinion Programme.

[60] The massive anti-government protest was cracked down following the implementation of the National Security Law by China, crushing dissidents and forcing the disband of civic groups.

New policies did not enjoy much popularity still, including requiring oath-taking pledging allegiance to China, vetting politicians, pushing for national security education, and placing pandemic restrictions.