They've badly miscalculated. As the original SCMP article points out, their ears to the ground in HK failed to pick up, or convey accurately, the intensity of t

They've badly miscalculated. As the original SCMP article points out, their ears to the ground in HK failed to pick up, or convey accurately, the intensity of the broad public sentiment against the extradition bill. That was especially unfortunate as, following the failure of the Umbrella Movement to produce results in 2014, the public's frustrations over mainland interference and tone deaf local politicians have been building. All it took was one big target to catalyze the populace. And for lack of information, Beijing allowed Carrie Lam to provide the spark. Beijing certainly has a 30-year plan for Hong Kong, but the (usually pragmatic) regime needs to re-think how they approach the next decade