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If the protesters do not give the mainland government a way to back down without saving face, then the mainland government simply cannot back down -- especially

If the protesters do not give the mainland government a way to back down without saving face, then the mainland government simply cannot back down -- especially not during a trade war that is already hurting the government's image. I suspect the most likely outcome, if the protests continue, will be the resignation of Carrie Lam followed by statements from Beijing about how she screwed up. They will want to pin the blame on her. If the protesters don't go home after that, the possibility of armed intervention will not seem so remote.

JumpCrisscross 7y ago
> the mainland government simply cannot back down This is false. Beijing has many other options. Xi's ineptitude and status as a lifetime leader does entrench China more than it should be. But there are many options between total escalation and total retreat.
627467 7y ago
HK being HK is no damage to "PRC face". HK being vocal about Democratic values has been accepted since handover. Mainland has accepted this situation for 50 years. There's still just under 30 years to go to end the deal. All this drama is premature. Also... The world, and China has grown alot since "face" has been excuses for military intervention. China is no.1 world economy with still a lot of bridges to build if they are surpass the west in influence. Mindless violence won't help build any bridges.