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Steve Tsang
Steve Tsang
Steve Tsang is director of the SOAS China Institute at the University of London’s School of Oriental and African Studies.

Hong Kong’s protesters should remember they have succeeded so far because of Carrie Lam’s political ineptitude in seeking to rush the extradition bill through the legislature, and because their resistance hasn’t directly challenged Beijing or the Communist Party.

The Chinese leader is no Maoist, but he sees no place for Deng Xiaoping’s style of political experimentation, either. In Xi’s China, citizens may enjoy freedom as consumers and investors, but not as participants in civil society.

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