With the Hong Kong government paralyzed by mass protests, the chances of armed intervention from Beijing, once unthinkable, are rising by the day.

Far from hiding its intent, Beijing has been parading it in full view over the past week. The protesters, initially reviled as mobs, have been rebranded by Chinese officials as criminals and terrorists. The state media has broadcast ominous footage of its anti-riot police, who fall under the command of the People’s Liberation Army, marshaled on the Hong Kong border in Shenzhen.

To be sure, the threats against the protesters are designed to ensure that Beijing never has to carry them through. By displaying their fury and firepower, Chinese leaders are hoping the protesters will retreat.

But Beijing’s long-term management of Hong Kong and the internal logic of its own politics mean that President Xi Jinping and the ruling Communist Party have few offramps to dial down the conflict, even if they might well wish to.