Economics
Xi’s Dilemma: Send Forces Into Hong Kong, or Wait Out Protesters
- China ramps up preparations to mobilize forces to stem unrest
- High economic, political costs make intervention unlikely
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Over the past week, signs have appeared that China has stepped up preparations to mobilize mainland forces to quell the weeks-long uprising in Hong Kong. The question now is whether President Xi Jinping will actually do it.
State-run media posted videos this week of the People’s Armed Police, a paramilitary force specializing in riot control, assembling across the border in Shenzhen. Chinese officials have also increasingly used the word “terrorism” in describing the protests, invoking a term used to justify sending in forces to repress minority Muslims in the far west region of Xinjiang.