>I expected the Beijing government would (a) continuously improve its image in Hong Kong, and (b) monitor HK public opinion to ensure they don't push its agenda

>I expected the Beijing government would (a) continuously improve its image in Hong Kong, and (b) monitor HK public opinion to ensure they don't push its agenda to the point where it would risk instability. You fail on two basic points. 1) You think Beijing cares about HK 2) You give too much credit to CCP propaganda Chinese politics is totally inward facing. The CCP only worries about what Xi thinks or needs. Xi and his followers are the only people who can sack you if you are a bureaucrat. Beijing would be happy for Hong Kong to disappear into the sea. In 1997, HK was the richest and most dynamic region in China. Now, Shenzhen is much more important and HK is becoming just another Chinese coastal city. All of the stuff the legal and governance infrastructure that made HK a world capital for finance is dying. The rule of law and personal freedoms are dead. HK is just a reminder of the Century of Humiliation. The quicker it dies the better for Beijing or CCP anyway.