Hong Kong was calm today, although a record number pro-democracy protestors are expected in Central, Causeway Bay (pictured at the weekend) and Mong Kok ahead of the holiday tonight.

 

The traditional National Day holiday fireworks display has now been cancelled, with the Central business district and other key areas expected to be blocked by protestors tonight. Several shops and businesses are also expected to close early to allow staff to make their way home safely – as happened at the weekend.

 

The DFS downtown shop in Hysan Place was just one that allowed its staff to head off home earlier than usual at the weekend, although its T Galleria locations in Chinachem and Sun Plaza were unaffected.

 

As many as 100,000 protestors are estimated to line the streets of Hong Kong tonight ahead of the National Day holiday, although Hong Kong Police are expected to take a lower profile than they did at the weekend, after virtually admitting that it was a mistake to fire tear gas and pepper spray at demonstrators.

 

RETAIL RAMIFICATIONS

Sources based in Hong Kong say that while the situation is relatively peaceful at present, it is not going away and the potential disruption going into the holiday period has serious ramifications for Hong Kong’s retailers and businesses in Central, Causeway Bay and Mong Kok.

 

A show of force by an air force jet and helicopters overflying demonstrators was noted by some as significant yesterday, since this is not a normal sight in Hong Kong.

 

While news of the demonstrations is being heavily censored in Mainland China, international television crews have been reporting the event worldwide and  many observers say that the longer that this goes on the more trying this will be on Beijing’s patience.

 

China is unlikely to want its citizens to be inspired by a call for free elections or be too keen to have them mixing with demonstrators in Hong Kong. How it decides to respond over the next few days will be very significant.

 

Meanwhile, calls for CY Leung, the CEO of Hong Kong SAR, to resign are more hopeful than realistic on the part of the demonstrators, who originally concentrated their demand that Beijing allow free elections in Hong Kong in 2017.

 

The Beijing Government continues to take the line that it wants to vet all candidates before this important event.