Club Online Zoom Event : What’s in Store for Hong Kong’s Future?

Hong Kong politics is entering a potentially perilous time, as the COVID-19 pandemic appears to be abating while the protests of 2019 return. A controversial new interpretation of the Basic Law says the Chinese Central Government’s Liaison Office and the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office have the right to “supervise” local affairs. Several well-known pro-democracy figures have been arrested for their role in last year’s protests. This is happening against the backdrop of planned Legco elections in September. Lord Patten recently wrote a letter to the United Kingdom’s Foreign Office urging vigilance about any future attempts by Beijing to undermine Hong Kong’s rule of law and the electoral process.

Chris Patten is perhaps best known as the last Governor of Hong Kong, arriving in 1992 and serving for the six years leading up to the handover to China in 1997. As a British MP (1979-92) he served as Minister for Overseas Development, Secretary of State for the Environment and as Chairman of the Conservative Party. He has been a European Commissioner for External Affairs (1999-2004). He is the author of “East and West” about his experiences in Asia, and “First Confession: A Sort of Memoir,” which explores identity politics and the nature of community through the story of his political roles in the UK, Ireland, Europe and Hong Kong. He has served as Chancellor of the University of Oxford since 2003. He was made a Companion of Honour in 1998 and a life peer in 2005.