Not far from Central Hong Kong, the city's busiest commercial district, stands the regional headquarters of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA). Though the 28-story building is far emptier now than it was under British rule, a glaring PLA logo still hangs from its roof, lighting up Victoria Harbor below. It is a stark contrast to the same view two years ago, when the skyscraper — then unadorned — served as a symbol of China's unobtrusive presence in Hong Kong. Whether intentionally or not, that subtlety is now gone, as is Beijing's tight grip over the region that has long bucked its rule. Nearly 20 years after the handover of the city ended British colonialism in Hong Kong, the relationship between the autonomous territory and mainland China is more contentious than ever. And things may soon get even worse.