Why did Xi Jinping and the remainder of China’s management determine to behave now?
Vivian: The brief reply is the large antigovernment protest motion in 2019, in response to a authorities proposal that might have allowed extraditions to mainland China.
The dimensions of the protests actually shook Beijing. All of the earlier protest actions had lasted just a few months, at most. This time, there was big assist, and it wasn’t dying down by itself.
From Beijing’s perspective, has the crackdown labored? And has it created any issues for the central authorities?
In some ways, it has completely labored. There are no extra road protests. There’s intensive self-censorship. Nearly each outstanding pro-democracy activist is in exile, in jail, awaiting trial or has disappeared from public life.
However there’s a variety of simmering anger amongst Hong Kongers, even when they don’t dare categorical it publicly anymore.
Do folks inside the motion see any purpose for optimism?
Ever since the safety legislation was enacted, the temper inside the pro-democracy motion has been bleak. I anticipated no less than some folks to supply fiery defiance and remind folks that there’s nonetheless hope — if solely simply as a rallying cry, whether or not they believed it or not. However fairly constantly throughout folks I discuss to, the consensus is that there’s not a lot they’ll do to vary the scenario, no less than for now.
That’s it for this briefing. As of Tuesday, this article could have a brand new look. We hope you take pleasure in it. See you subsequent time.
— Whet and Amelia
Thanks
Carole Landry helped write this briefing. Thanks to Melissa Clark for the recipe. You may attain the group at briefing@nytimes.com.
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