[Hong Kong's chief executive Carrie Lam] is caught in an impossible position [of having to uphold Beijing's interests and maintain Hong Kong's autonomy]. One consequence of that, for example, is that she may calculate that goals like preserving the rule of law and preserving civil and political rights, from attrition by Beijing, is best done quietly. If she does this in a public way that makes it very clear to everybody that she's making demands, then Beijing is going to respond in the worst possible way.