Beijing slaps down HK separatists to make a strong point

Beijing

WHEN President Xi Jinping of China meets foreign leaders, he tends to recite talking points in a dutiful monotone, diplomats say. But when challenges to China's sovereignty come up - like protests in Hong Kong - he roars to life.

"He read flatly from the script," one Western official said of such a meeting. "But when it got to China's core interests, these disputes, he put down his notes and spoke passionately."