That is what Chinese regime is and will be. It will incrementally take apart Hong Kong's system piece by piece. Then, someday under some convenient pretext, its army will eventually march in and fully annex the whole city once and for all.
Well the stirrings of freedom are alive, but the question is how strong is the collective will of the people to challenge their government in an effective way? Are these protests just last gasps as a newer, increasingly repressive reality takes hold?
And: are the people themselves to blame...for playing along with the government’s game for far too long and allowing materialistic interests to trump freedom...
Or are these signs that Beijing is far more fragile than the world is led to believe...
I think a lot depends on how Chinese Christians will respond to the State in the coming years.