Hong Kong - the wider implications

This event will start at 12pm GMT+1

Organised by the Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation

Fully booked

This year’s crackdown on pro-democracy activists and journalists in Hong Kong is an important attack on the global spread of democracy. Are Western nations responding forcefully enough? Will China be emboldened in other areas where it controls or claims territory, including Taiwan and the Senkaku islands?

Hong Kong democracy activist Simon Cheng discussed the issues based on his personal experiences, including arrest by the Chinese authorities. Professor Barry Buzan addressed the implications for the shifting power balance in Asia, and how Western nations should respond. Professor Arthur Stockwin then considered the Japanese angle, including how policy towards China is likely to evolve under the new Suga administration.

Below can be found Simon Cheng’s presentation, as well as a short summary of the event, located on the Foundation’s Facebook page:

PRESENTATION BY SIMON CHENG EVENT SUMMARY

A video of the event can be found here:

About the contributors

Simon Cheng

Mr Simon Cheng is an exiled Hong Kong pro-democracy activist who was the first Hongkonger and British national (overseas) citizen to be granted asylum by the British Government. While working for the British Consulate-General in Hong Kong, he volunteered to undertake the additional role of monitoring the Hong Kong protests for the British Consulate, and subsequently was detained for over two weeks in terrible conditions when returning from mainland China. He has been accused by Chinese state media of inciting political unrest and colluding with foreign forces, and declared wanted by security services. He now runs Haven Assistance, an advice platform which helps Hongkongers seeking asylum, and is an advocate for the establishment of a ‘Shadow Parliament’ in Hong Kong to preserve democracy and counter China’s encroachment on Hong Kong’s liberties.

Professor Barry Buzan

Professor Barry Buzan is Emeritus Professor of International Relations at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), Honorary Professor at Copenhagen and Jilin Universities, and a Senior Fellow at LSE Ideas. During 1993 he was a Visiting Professor at the International University of Japan. In 1998 he was elected a fellow of the British Academy. Among his books are: Security: A New Framework for Analysis (1998, with Ole Wæver and Jaap de Wilde); International Systems in World History: Remaking the Study of International Relations (2000, with Richard Little); Regions and Powers: The Structure of International Security (2003, with Ole Wæver); The Evolution of International Security Studies (2009, with Lene Hansen); and Rethinking Sino-Japanese Alienation: History Problems and Historical Opportunities (2020, with Evelyn Goh, Oxford: Oxford University).

Professor Arthur Stockwin

Professor Arthur Stockwin is an Emeritus Fellow of St. Antony’s College and formerly Director of the Nissan Institute of Japanese Studies at the University of Oxford. His publications include Dictionary of the Modern Politics of Japan (Routledge, 2003), and Governing Japan (Wiley-Blackwell, 2008). Professor Stockwin is joint General Editor (with Roger Goodman) of the Nissan Institute/Routledge Japanese Studies series. In 2004, he received The Order of the Rising Sun from the Japanese Government in recognition of his tireless efforts to promote Japanese Studies in the UK.