Also: https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/news/china-seeks-to-buy-control-of-hong-kong-companies-reuters-says/ar-AAHe1bJ https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/news/china

Also: https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/news/china-seeks-to-buy-control-of-hong-kong-companies-reuters-says/ar-AAHe1bJ https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/news/china-seeks-to-buy-cont... That seems pretty smart to me. If your two choices are either assimilation or to make a separate state (with separate laws, etc.) out of your 8th or so largest city, I can see doing this. Obviously, both sides will alter each other with the largest one doing most of the altering.