Now they’re getting overt regarding the protests in Hong Kong against the local pseudo-autonomous government’s misbehaviors.

…those who play with fire will perish by it.

That’s pretty stark considering the overtly peaceful nature of the protests.  Yang Guang, speaking for the PRC’s Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of State Council:

[PRC] central government has “immense strength” and that punishment for those behind the demonstrations is “only a matter of time.”
…
“Don’t ever misjudge the situation and mistake our restraint for weakness.”

No, it’s the PRC’s fear of dissent that clearly demonstrates weakness. The PRC’s strength, such as it is, lies solely in its People’s Liberation Army, units of which are preparing for a move against Hong Kong.  Xi is the living embodiment of the rule from Chairman Mao’s Little Red Book that says that political power grows out of the barrel of a gun.