The deployment in Shenzhen, within sight of Hong Kong’s skyline, doesn’t appear to be a prelude to military intervention. But few analysts expressed doubt that China would act if the country’s leader, Xi Jinping, believed that sovereignty over Hong Kong was jeopardized.

Yesterday: Organizers estimated that about 1.7 million people marched through Hong Kong, defying a police ban. The police put the number of protesters at 128,000.

Go deeper: The Times reviewed dozens of episodes in Hong Kong involving tear gas and found that the police at times used methods that experts described as indiscriminate and excessive.

Another angle: Beijing is increasingly pressuring companies to take its side in the dispute. Local and global businesses are falling in line, and their employees are caught in the middle.