Ratcliffe will have to go through confirmation. The Dems will slow-walk it. Meanwhile, whoever is the temporary DNI will move on it. It has been part of Trump and Q's MO since the beginning. Think Whitaker. The 2nd string is where all the action is taking place. The guys in the front are actors. This is a movie.
As of the 1997 handoff by Great Britain to China, Hong Kong is sovereign Chinese territory. We have no mutual defense agreement with them like we have with Taiwan. The WH will monitor, but it will not get involved because it's purely an internal matter. The DS failed to start WWIII with Iran; now it's trying to provoke war in the Far East. Trump's not going to take the bait. Now, if China starts messing with Taiwan, that's another matter. We are bound by treaty there. That's why the Chinese DS isn't messing with it.