if Hong Kong is any example ['if' construction]

[james0228]

[China is able to quash mass unrest with police crackdown and surveillance, if Hong Kong is any example] from the korea herald

what is the meaning of if-clause in this sentence?
It doesn't seem to have the general meaning of if, 'conditions'.

 

[Keith Bradford]

There's an implied observer here, probably "we". It means:

If we take Hong Kong as an example, we can conclude that China is able to quash mass unrest with police crackdown and surveillance.

 

[Byoof]

If Hong Kong is any example is the same as saying If you look at the recent history of Hong Kong,.. [then] you can see that China is capable of quashing mass unrest.

It may be confusing to have the IF clause at the end of the sentence instead of the start.