Social security; Two Meetings; Hong Kong; Tech "choke points"; Xi again on struggle 斗争

It is “Two Meetings” week, as the CPPCC starts Thursday and the NPC starts Friday.

More moves to restructure the electoral process in Hong Kong will likely be on the NPC agenda. There have been leaks about upcoming measures in various “pro-Beijing” media, and Xia Baolong, vice chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and head of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council, held a meeting in Shenzhen with leading Hong Kong figures in which everyone reiterated the need for patriots to govern Hong Kong and to enact further policies to ensure that outcome. The meeting is a classic soliciting of opinions before enacting new measures.

That “solicitation” goes hand in hand with a crackdown, and over the weekend 47 politicians and activists were arrested.

We have already seen the predictable condemnations from the UK and the US, but there is really nothing they can do to change Hong Kong’s trajectory.

The message to anyone in …