The Hong Kong protesters are appealing to U.S. authorities and to international travelers as they press their government to keep its distance from Beijing.
In a Wednesday evening tweet, the president offered a personal meeting with Xi Jinping in hopes the two could "humanely solve" the unrest over pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong.
Flights were beginning to return to normal after police in riot gear and armed with pepper spray forced out most of the protesters staging a sit-in at one of the world's busiest aviation hubs.
Operations at the major aviation hub initially appeared to be returning to normal early Tuesday, but by the afternoon, hundreds of pro-democracy activists had returned to departure areas.
Demonstrators filled the terminals, the latest in the 10th straight week of pro-democracy protests. China condemned the protests as "signs of terrorism."
Hundreds of pro-democracy activists, clad in black T-shirts and wearing face masks to hide their identities, thronged the city's airport in hopes of bringing international attention to their cause.
Speaking in the capital, a spokesman for China's Hong Kong affairs office said protesters will be "held accountable" and said that Beijing had "tremendous power" to put down the protests.
Protesters gathered near the site of an attack on pro-democracy activists last weekend. Police said demonstrators could face a maximum penalty of five years in prison.
Protesters' fury with Hong Kong's government hits a new height, as hundreds stormed into the legislative chamber. The chaos came on the 22nd anniversary of Hong Kong's handover to Chinese control.
Under a "one country, two systems" policy, Hong Kong is connected to China but with its own legal protections. Protesters view the extradition bill as a threat to that arrangement.
A day after Chief Executive Carrie Lam offered her mea culpa, two top advisers followed suit. But the apologies are unlikely to be enough to placate protesters.
The remarks made in a radio interview by Executive Council convener Bernard Chan, who said he underestimated opposition to the bill, come as Hong Kong braces for further protests over the weekend.
Most people appear to have abandoned the protests after riot police moved in with tear gas and rubber bullets to break up demonstrations against a proposed extradition law.
In a continuation of mass demonstrations that began over the weekend, thousands of mostly young protesters blocked lawmakers, forcing a delay on debate over a controversial extradition bill.
A judge sentenced the leaders of the protests to up to 16 months in prison. Rights groups said the sentencing would have a chilling effect on future demonstrations in Hong Kong.
Joshua Wong and Nathan Law, who led the 2014 Occupy Central protests against Beijing's leadership of the territory, were freed by Hong Kong's highest court pending appeal.
In a case decided by the territory's high court, four opposition lawmakers were kicked out of the legislature, shifting the balance in Beijing's favor.
On the anniversary of Hong Kong's return to China, Chris Patten has harsh words for Beijing's heavy-handed approach to the governance of the territory.
Lawmakers in the territory voted down the central government's plan to present a hand-picked slate of candidates for a vote on Hong Kong's next leader. But China says it will go ahead anyway.
Although turnout was far short of what activists had hoped for, demonstration leaders have promised nightly vigils to push for direct elections for the territory's next chief executive.
The approximately 8,000 rolls, with images of the territory's unpopular Beijing-appointed chief executive, were confiscated from a factory on the mainland.
Organizers say 13,000 showed up for the rally, far fewer than had joined previous protests against China's insistence on hand-picking candidates for the territory's next chief executive.
