 So this picture of Hong Kong police firing tear gas and protesters is a shocking twist for over a decade Protest in the city have been amazingly peaceful Sunday marked a new violent face in the battle between Hong Kong and China over the city state's political freedom Now this clash has been brewing since the 1997 handover at that time Beijing promised to allow Hong Kong a high degree of autonomy for 50 years Hong Kong believes this included the right to free elections in 2017 This August China basically said free elections in 2017 are out Candidates still have to be vetted by Beijing hence the umbrella revolution as they're calling it Now there's a lot riding on how Beijing handles this a repeat of Tiananmen seems inconceivable But Xi Jinping's government has taken a hotline approach So you can be sure Tibetans Xinjiang separatists Taiwan or any country with dealings with China Which is to say the world will be closely watching what plays out in Hong Kong's streets