Hong Kong on the Brink

In this episode, Jude invites Ambassador Kurt Tong to discuss the U.S.’s response to the continued turmoil in Hong Kong, including the passage of the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act of 2019. During their discussion, they also draw from Ambassador Tong’s recent article in Foreign Affairs, “Do No Harm in Hong Kong.” Ambassador Tong is a partner at The Asia Group, former Consul General in Hong Kong and Macau, and former State Department Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Economic and Business Affairs.

In this episode, Jude invites CSIS Director of the China Power Project Bonnie Glaser. They discuss how the ongoing events in Hong Kong are impacting Taiwan’s own relations with mainland China, as well as how the continued unrest can affect Taiwan’s presidential elections coming up in January 2020.

In this episode, Jude invites Professor Victoria Hui, associate professor in the department of political science at the University of Notre Dame. Drawing on her academic work on global protest movements, Professor Hui analyzes the forces that are shaping Hong Kong's pro-democracy movement, as well as the causes and consequences of the cycles of violence between protesters and the Hong Kong police.

In this episode, Jude invites Ben Bland, director of the Southeast Asia Project at the Lowy Institute in Australia and author of Generation HK: Seeking Identity in China's Shadow. They discuss the on-going protests and increasing violence in Hong Kong, as well as the controversy with the National Basketball Association and what it means for U.S.-China international business relations.

In this episode, Jude is joined by five special guests. Nathan Law, Denise Ho, Joshua Wong, Jeffrey Ngo, and Brian Leung all sit in to discuss their recent visit to Capitol Hill, where they advocated for the passing of the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act of 2019. They also raise questions about the future of the protests as they lead up to the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st. Nathan Law is a founding chair of Demosistō, a Hong Kong-based pro-democracy organization. Denise Ho is a renowned Cantopop singer and advocate for democracy and LGBTQ rights in Hong Kong. Joshua Wong is the secretary general of Demosistō. Jeffrey Ngo is the chief researcher and a standing committee member of Demosistō; he is currently pursuing a PhD at Georgetown University. Brian Leung is a democracy activist of Hong Kong and is currently pursuing a PhD at the University of Washington. We also invited People's Republic of China-U.S. Ambassador Cui Tiankai to take part in an additional episode of Hong Kong on the Brink, to which the embassy declined.

In this episode, Professor Ho-Fung Hung describes his experience on the ground in Hong Kong from when he visited in August. Professor Hung also highlights the differences between old and new generations of protesters and looks ahead at what Hong Kong could look like in year 2047, when the “one country, two systems” arrangement is set to expire. Professor Ho-Fung Hung is the Henry M. and Elizabeth P. Wiesenfeld Professor in Political Economy at the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies of the Johns Hopkins University.

In this episode, Jude welcomes Joel Wuthnow. They discuss the history of China’s People’s Armed Police and what part the force might play in the expanding conflict. Joel is a research fellow at the Center of the Study for Chinese Military Affairs at National Defense University, as well as an adjunct professor at NDU and Georgetown University. Additionally, Joel authored the report, “China’s Other Army: The People’s Armed Police in an Era of Reform.”

This week, Jude and Andrew discuss last Sunday’s mass migration of Hong Kong protesters in a peaceful march, and what it might indicate for the future. They also analyze the growing role of social media within the conflict, as well as within potential cyber threats from China, and how the White House and U.S. Congress is—or isn’t—responding to it all.

​In this week’s episode, Jude and Andrew welcome Minxin Pei, the Tom and Margot Pritzker '72 Professor of Government at Claremont McKenna College and an expert in China’s domestic politics. They discuss whether Beijing will indeed use its domestic security forces to subdue the protest movement—or whether they are bluffing.