HSBC's political tightrope act in Hong Kong opens up internal fault lines

HSBC’s endorsement of a proposed Chinese security law in Hong Kong has begun to widen fault lines over the British institution’s relationship to the city’s masters in Beijing.

The bank’s statement on the eve of the June 4 anniversary of the 1989 crackdown in Tiananmen Square of a looming security law heightened worries among both executives and rank-and-file over staff conflict, as well as potential blowback on the streets of Hong Kong.

It’s an ever more precarious balancing act for Chairman Mark Tucker, who needs to avoid drawing the ire of clients, employees, investors and policy makers while maintaining access to the