China's Next Major Mess-Up: Hong Kong's Future

September 9, 2014 Topic: DemocracyElectionsDomestic Politics Region: China

China's Next Major Mess-Up: Hong Kong's Future

"By working so hard to demolish a threat that didn’t really exist, China has lost on several fronts."

But such flexibility was more than Beijing could manage. Instead, it has further soured the Hong Kong political scene and may face further protests and disorder. It has reminded Taiwan to remain wary of overtures from the mainland. And it has told China’s worried neighbors that compromise on issues they care about will be difficult. By working so hard to demolish a threat that didn’t really exist, China has lost on several fronts.

Robert Keatley is a former editor of the Asian Wall Street Journal and the South China Morning Post.

Image: Flickr/florianpusch/CC by 2.0