Hong Kong has been engulfed in protests for months now. The demonstrations were triggered by a proposed extradition bill, which would allow for accused Hong Kong residents to face trial on the mainland, where criminal cases are little more than show trials. There has been wide spread opposition to the bill in Hong Kong, as many fear that this will greatly undermine Hong Kong’s guaranteed freedom. Protests have been constant for months and have reached over a million participants at times. The police have tried and failed to suppress the demonstrations, and now Beijing is threatening military intervention.
China has been increasing the rhetoric against the protesters. In the past few weeks, the Chinese state-run newspaper, The Global Times, has published articles with overt threats of military action. Concurrently, state-operated television has been playing videos of People’s Liberation Army (the Chinese Army) soldiers practicing invading a place that looks suspiciously similar to Hong Kong. In those videos soldiers have also conducted “training simulation” involving “anti-riot” tactics, according to The National Interest.
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