The move by Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor to define the recent unrest in the city as an attack on Beijing’s sovereignty could escalate already heightened tensions between the government and its opponents, political observers have warned. One analyst said Lam’s comments – her first in public in two weeks – would only fan the flames of discontent, and would do little to end the weeks of protests, most of which are increasingly violent. Hong Kong was brought to a standstill on Monday morning as protesters paralysed the city’s MTR railway system by blocking train doors, in response to calls for a citywide strike.
