When: Thursday, November 21, 2019, 2:00 - 3:30 p.m.
Where: The Brookings Institution, Falk Auditorium, 1775 Massachusetts Ave, NW, Washington, DC
What: What began this summer in Hong Kong as peaceful demonstrations against an extradition bill soon escalated to violent clashes between protesters and the police. Now, the protesters have dug in and are losing some of their past public support. China is reportedly readying tightened controls on the political freedoms of the Hong Kong people, and the city’s future as an international financial center is in doubt. The question is whether—and how—more centrist political actors in Hong Kong can regain the initiative and return the city to something resembling the status quo ante.
On Thursday, November 21, the Center for East Asia Policy Studies and the John L. Thornton China Center at Brookings will host a conversation with Christine Loh to address the current state of affairs in Hong Kong and its path forward. Christine Loh began her career as a commodities trader in the 1970s and became active in politics and public policy in the 1980s. She was the founder and CEO of the think tank Civic Exchange, a legislative councilor, and the undersecretary for the environment from 2012 to 2017.