China and America are alike in that they value unity. The difference is that America has never lost a territory whereas China lost two: Taiwan to Japan and Hong Kong to Britain. In the process the people in Taiwan and Hong Kong who valued Chinese culture were killed by the Japanese and British and the ones who remain went along with the new regime to survive.
China is trying to reclaim their land and people. But unlike the Japanese and British, they don't want to reclaim it with force/violence because the people of Taiwan and Hong Kong are Chinese. Instead they are looking for a more agreeable path towards re-integration.
But honestly, it would be easier to do what Japan did to Taiwan b/c then the protests would end quickly and all you'd be left with are people who are outwardly compliant. It's a tricky situation and the western world is really playing it up to make China look like the bad guy while ignoring how Taiwan and HK were taken over to begin with.
Reminds me of how foreign powers split up Korea and Vietnam into North and South. After dividing these countries up they became weak.
Hence the importance of unity. China doesn't want to make the same mistake.
And you're entirely wrong about China being unwilling to use violence. 30 years ago they committed an atrocity in order to silence protest. They just don't think the risk-reward is worth it.
I understand that HK is an asset and I presume china wishes to keep it an asset but they must, at some level anyway, realise that they will choke it if they grab it, but grab it apparently they must.
ISTM china can either have some of what it wants, or try for all and eventually get none, and they seem to be heading for the latter. I don't understand the thinking. So can anyone enlighten me as to the economic and political theory behind it?
Edit: I may be plain wrong and they genuinely can have it all, I just don't see how.