Penang Institute is proud to host a public lecture titled “Hong Kong: Limits of Economic Growth without Political Reform” which is scheduled as follows:

Date: 25 June 2019, Tuesday
Time: 8:00pm – 9:30pm (Doors open at 7:30pm)
Venue: Conference Hall, Penang Institute

Abstract:

That eternal question in East Asian politics has been whether you can satisfy a population with economic growth alone without accompanying political freedom. Recent events in Hong Kong are merely the latest answer to that question.

Hong Kong is a special case in many ways. A hyper capitalist society with its own mini constitution, “The Basic Law” but it is nevertheless a Special Administrative Region in the largest Communist Country in the world. In hindsight it is clear to see that such an agreement will lead to many contradictions and problems but in the 1980s, when the agreement between Britain and China was reached it seemed like a very good idea.

Though diametrically opposed in some ways, the future of Hong Kong and China are interlinked, and it will be interesting to see how the relationship will progress, especially in the changing geopolitical scene that is evolving now.

About the speaker:

N. Balakrishnan who grew up in Malaysia spent 28 years working in Hong Kong in various roles of financial journalist and financial professional. He has a good understanding of Hong Kong politics and business, and writes regularly for both the South China Morning Post and China Daily Hong Kong edition. He is also a graduate of the Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism, Amherst College and Penang Free School.

Please feel free to circulate this invitation to your family and friends. For further enquiries, please contact the secretariat at enquiry@penanginstitute.org.