Hong Kong has seen its biggest political crisis in decades, but Beijing cannot afford to let the dissent go unpunished'They will definitely take revenge': how China could respond to the Hong Kong protestsThe Communist Party has always been aware of the power of mass protests. Today, Chinese leaders are likely to take a much grimmer view when they see images of millions protesting a controversial law in Hong Kong this month. Analysts expect that the Hong Kong government will widen the prosecution of people active in the protests. And Beijing will likely try to assume more power over Hong Kong, speed up its integration with China, and intensify ideological education, analysts say. – podcast Read moreAt China’s behest, Hong Kong has already put in place a number of infrastructure projects that aid integration with the mainland, such as a bridge linking Hong Kong, Macau and Southern China’s Greater Bay Area, and a multi-billion-dollar high-speed rail linking the city and mainland cities.

Source: The Guardian June 29, 2019 23:00 UTC