Hong Kong’s pro-Beijing camp appears to have softened its stance on the ongoing protests after President Donald Trump warned China that a violent crackdown on the city’s protesters could hurt the ongoing trade negotiations.
Hong Kong’s former vice-chairwoman of the Basic Law Committee, Elsie Leung Oi-sie, said on Aug. 18 there is presently no need for China to deploy its People’s Liberation Army (PLA) troops in Hong Kong to intervene with the ongoing protests because the situation in the city is more of a social order than a national security issue. Leung’s statement is in sharp contrast to the previous tough and intimidating announcements from Beijing representatives.
