CHINA’S REPRESSION AND THE FUTURE OF HONG KONG

Prior to the British government handing over Hong Kong in 1997, China pledged to maintain Hong Kong’s autonomy and freedom under a framework known as “one country, two systems” for 50 years. However, it didn’t take long for China to break its promise as Beijing under Xi Jingping’s leadership has taken increasingly blatant steps to crackdown on the people of Hong Kong, their political system and freedom. In 2020, Beijing imposed a sweeping and draconian National Security Law (NSL) on Hong Kong. Since then, authorities have arrested dozens of pro-democracy activists, lawmakers, and journalists; curbed voting rights; and limited freedoms of the press and speech.

Asia Freedom Institute brings together a panel of Hong Kong leaders and experts from three continents - Europe, Asia, and North America - and they will offer their perspective on the challenges and potential solutions for defending democracy in Hong Kong. They will discuss the erosion of Hong Kong’s freedoms, challenges facing Hong Kong, the state of the Hong Kong democracy movement, the role of Hong Kong’s expatriate and diaspora community, and the future of Hong Kong.