Hong Kong will only be able to retain its autonomy beyond the 2047 expiry date if the city’s young people behave themselves, Chief Executive Carrie Lam has warned.

The city was handed over to China by the United Kingdom in 1997 under a “one country, two systems” framework, which, under the agreement, has to remain in place for at least 50 years. However, the city has been gripped by months of pro-democracy protests that were sparked by serious concerns Beijing is already tightening its control over Hong Kong’s laws and institutions.

Lam said Hong Kong’s existing freedoms could carry on after 2047, but said the protesters are risking them with their actions. “There is enough reason to believe ‘one country, two systems’... will not change after 2047,” Lam said in the city’s Legislative Council.

She added that young people in the city are in danger of violating the principle on “temporary misunderstandings,” saying: “The scenario they worry about today may be triggered by their own hand.”