Inside Hong Kong’s Airport

<p>Protesters have flooded Hong Kong’s airport, paralyzing operations and escalating tensions between the semiautonomous territory and Beijing. The protesters are trying to send a message to government officials — and to people in mainland China. Guest: <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/by/javier-c-hernandez" target="_blank">Javier C. Hernández</a>, a New York Times correspondent based in Beijing. For more information on today’s episode, visit <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/thedaily" target="_blank">nytimes.com/thedaily</a>. </p><p>Background reading:</p><ul><li>Demonstrations led the airport, one of the world’s busiest,<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/12/world/asia/hong-kong-airport-protest.html?smid=pc-thedaily" target="_blank"> to suspend check-ins for two days in a row</a> this week, causing hundreds of flight cancellations. On Wednesday,<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/14/world/asia/hong-kong-airport-protests.html?smid=pc-thedaily" target="_blank"> some protesters apologized</a> for the disruption.</li><li>The unrest is exposing<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/12/world/asia/hong-kong-protests-communist-party.html?smid=pc-thedaily" target="_blank"> the inherent conflict in Hong Kong’s political system</a> since China reclaimed the territory from Britain in 1997: an effort to unite Beijing’s authoritarianism with civil liberties.</li><li>Here’s<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/08/world/asia/hong-kong-protests-explained.html?smid=pc-thedaily" target="_blank"> a guide to what prompted the Hong Kong protests</a>, and a look at how they have evolved. </li></ul>