This is my take on mainland sentiment also. If it comes down to HK being torn apart by some group, the CCP would rather that group be the HKers themselves than

This is my take on mainland sentiment also. If it comes down to HK being torn apart by some group, the CCP would rather that group be the HKers themselves than the PLA. HK is sufficiently culturally, politically and geographically insulated that don't have to worry about the unrest spreading over to the mainland. They’ll let them burn their own city down if that’s what they want - and if they do, the problem largely solves itself because an act like that would alienate most reasonable HKers from their cause. What they won’t tolerate is an external force stepping in on behalf of the protestors because that would be a direct challenge to their sovereignty over the region. That’s the one and only scenario where the PLA has a possibility of being deployed. The CCP has time on their side when it comes to dealing with this issue. Are the businesses in HK attempting to conduct their day to day operations able to say the same thing [1][2]? [1] https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-07-29/hong-kong-protests-knock-investor-confidence-in-city-s-shares https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-07-29/hong-kong... [2] https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-07-28/hong-kong-s-economy-hit-by-protests-finance-secretary-chan-says https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-07-28/hong-kong...