Playing with fire

2 October 2019 By Jeffrey Goldfarb Follow @jgfarb

Police shot a protester during clashes on Communist China’s 70th anniversary, in contrast to Xi Jinping’s message of peaceful development. Beijing’s quandary also became starker: it needs to restore calm for economic stability, but tougher intervention will fuel further unrest.

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Hong Kong police on Oct. 1 shot a teenage protester, the first to be hit by live ammunition in almost four months of unrest in the Chinese-ruled city, amid violent clashes on the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic.

Carrie Lam, Hong Kong’s chief executive, was in Beijing to celebrate the anniversary. In contrast to events in the special administrative region, Beijing's carefully choreographed festivities included troops marching through part of Tiananmen Square with new missiles and floats celebrating the country's technological prowess.

Hong Kong’s benchmark Hang Seng Composite Index was down by 0.63% at 9:45 a.m. (0145 GMT).

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