If anyone was hoping for something to come out of talks between students and government officials in Hong Kong, they were likely let down.
As student leaders sat down to talk over their grievances about elections in Hong Kong, it became apparent neither side had come to negotiate, instead using the televised talks as an opportunity to reiterate their platforms. (Video via Apple Daily)
SUSAN LI FOR CNBC: "It was a live televised debate, so they were talking in sound bites. ... It was interesting that it was also broadcast on mainland media, but I should also point out that we heard the Hong Kong government's view in China ... but then when it went to the student protesters, they blacked that out."
Despite the lackluster talks, protesters were out in force Wednesday and attempted to march on Government House, the official residence of Hong Kong Chief Executive C.Y. Leung. (Video via BBC)
That march was fueled in part by comments Leung made to foreign reporters that he didn't want to open the door to free elections "because doing so would risk giving poorer residents a dominant voice in politics," as The New York Times reported.
"'You have to take care of all the sectors in Hong Kong as much as you can,' he said, 'and if it’s entirely a numbers game and numeric representation, then obviously you would be talking to half of the people in Hong Kong who earn less than $1,800 a month.'"
We're now weeks into the Occupy Central protests, and some analysts speculate Hong Kong authorities and the central government in Beijing aren't budging because they're trying to wait out protesters' resolve. And some protesters aren't exactly optimistic.
PROTESTER VIA AL JAZEERA: "We all understand that we can't really get any concrete results, but at least an open dialogue can tell everybody why we're all here."
But according to a poll out from the Chinese University of Hong Kong, support for the protesters has increased since September by nearly 7 percent, while opposition has decreased by nearly 11 percent.
One group that has been violently opposed to the protests, in particular the effect protesters have had on traffic, is taxi drivers. The drivers again clashed with protesters Wednesday, attempting to destroy their barricades. (Video via RTHK)
The Occupy Central protests started after the Chinese government announced all candidates for the office of chief executive would need to be vetted by Beijing before elections.
This video includes images from Getty Images.
