I wouldn't say it's disingenuous... given that there's nothing legally preventing mainland-Chinese from choosing to live in HK, and then being quoted as people who want "their" city back.
Odd to think, but HK is now experiencing a real Red Scare, the likes of which the US only ever imagined in the depths of paranoid delusion. There are real (CCP) Communists, living amongst the HK citizenry, nudging HK's democracy (such as it is) toward their agenda by appearing to stand for "public sentiment"!
Back in 2012 I went to a few Occupy Wall Street protests and encampments, I was very surprised to see how many advocates for "real" communism - since nobody has done it correctly - really were hiding in the bushes the whole time.
(I did read up on this seemingly comical notion, and I can at least tell you that they're correct, communist countries have never gotten to level 2 which calls for abolition of the state, and all fail during the pitstop of centralized power.)