The long game: China’s latest pledge to rein in Hong Kong will come at a cost

Although the rapid escalation of violence in Hong Kong seems terrifying already, things may be about to get much worse. The communiqué of the recently concluded fourth plenum of the 19th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) indicates that Chinese president Xi-Jinping is planning to tighten his grip on the former British colony at any cost. He should prepare to rack up a formidable bill.

The communiqué includes two ominous ...