Written by: Harry Colvin China recently instituted the “patriot” plan as part of its reformation of Hong Kong’s electoral system. This plan is considered to be a reform that tightens China’s control over Hong Kong and reduces the independence of its democratic government. In 1997, the British ceded control of Hong Kong back to China;…
Tag: hong kong
Backgrounder: The Hong Kong Protests
Written by: Cormac O’Harrow The Hong Kong protests: a series of demonstrations by hundreds of thousands of people in the streets of Hong Kong, the semi-autonomous territory of islands off the coast of mainland China. Since the territory reverted back to Chinese control from the British in 1997, questions about its sovereignty have loomed heavily…
Effects of Censorship on the Global Economy
Written by: Pooja Gundimeda The people of Hong Kong have been protesting for months now in response to the extradition bill proposed by the local government. The bill would have allowed for criminal suspects to be extradited to the mainland, posing a major threat to democracy as the bill could be used to target activists…
Hong Kong’s Symbolic Meaning to Chinese
Written by: Jui Lin Lu After months of demonstration, Hong Kong’s people do not seem to be moving Beijing politics. Millions of Hong Kong citizens are pushing for a democratic government, and the government answered their calls with tear gas and rubber bullets. As Beijing decided to take a hard-line approach toward this issue, it…
The Cost of Democracy
Written by: Jui Lin Lu After several months of struggle, the Hong Kong Anti-Extradition-Law movement has finally achieved some success. The Chief Executive Carrie Lam announced the formal withdrawal of the Extradition Bill in response to the five demands made by the protestors. To achieve this goal, the city has suffered a tremendous amount. The…
The Unforeseen Effects of Hong Kong’s Pro-Democracy Protests
Written by: Emery Jochnau By now, most of the international community is aware of the pro-democracy protests that have been going on for nearly five months in Hong Kong. Some, however, might not understand exactly why they are occurring. Hong Kong is a Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China, and because of…
Macau, Hong Kong’s Sister City
Written by: Ryan Thiele Over the last few months there has been considerable attention given to Hong Kong, the Special Administrative Region (SAR) that was turned over from the British Empire in 1997. Hong Kong’s democratic protests are sure to grab headlines for months to come, especially since they are inspiring other movements across the…
China x NBA: How One Basketball Executive’s Tweet Threatened the Chinese Government
Written by: Simon Fischer Sports and politics have always maintained a close relationship, but foreign policy has rarely been an issue between the two. Issues of race and freedom of speech entered the world of the NFL in 2016, but foreign policy has stayed separate from sports in any controversial manner. This previous context made…
The Price of International Organizations Being International
Written by: Abby Ivancevich In a world that has come to have a few, disproportionately dominant countries, massive international organizations are becoming some of the only actors able to challenge such broad authority. Although not directly politically affiliated, they can have significant influence. When these companies choose to respond to global controversy with purposefully impartial…
Hong Kong is Desperate for a Savior in their Fight for Democracy. Is the Trump Administration Willing to Help?
Written by: Simon Fischer Grabbing the attention of the entire foreign policy world can be a tough task, especially for a small Special Administrative Region like Hong Kong. However, they have made it look easy in recent months. The densely-populated city has taken to the streets this summer in protest of a deeply unpopular “extradition…
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