It seems that the protests in Hong Kong are not ending anytime soon. And the city authorities’ will is weakening amid the unending demonstrations, as the leaked audio of Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam who “would resign if she could,” reveals. Though she has brushed aside the rumours of resignation, she didn’t say anything about the authenticity of the leaked audio.

Moreover, Lam’s silence on the authenticity of the audio testifies her frustration over her inability to bring normalcy to the city. The reason for her failure to end protests peacefully lies in the “one country, two systems” under which she “has to serve two masters by the constitution.”

Will China intervene by sending its troops in Hong Kong to end the protests? Probably, China will not interfere. And the authorities in Hong Kong will ensure the protesters to exhaust all their energies. The way the authorities are dealing with the protests shows that they are relying on the strategy of exhausting the protestors’ energies.

Nevertheless, the Hong Kong protests against the controversial extradition bill give the United States (US) a perfect opportunity to tarnish the image of China as a repressive and authoritarian state. While the US media is leading the campaign, other Western media outlets are following the American line on the protests. All major western media outlets seem intent on magnifying the rallies and inciting the locals against the Chinese state.

It is not to suggest that the on-going protests are not genuine or organic, but it is equally true that the West is stoking the flames out of proportion. That the Western media coverage is not fair is evident from the space the Western media has given to the brutal crackdown on the protestors outside G7 meeting. Why does the Western press view the two protests differently?

The protestors are in angry and militant mode. They don’t want to join the negotiation table. Instead, they rely on attacking the police, tourists, blocking of transportation hubs to force the government to meet their demands. However, the sabotage strategy does not deliver the desired goals of any movement. Again, this does not mean that the purpose here is to discourage people from exercising their right to protest.

However, the suggestion in these lines is that reliance on sabotage strategy often the times prove counterproductive. That said, the Chinese state needs to rethink the pros and cons of the controversial extradition bill that Carrie Lam declared dead in July. China will emerge strong if it accepts the protestors’ demands. Leaving the things as they are can escalate the matters to the point of no return.