China Studies Research Centre, La Trobe University
6:00-7:30pm 2 May 2019
Room 3.04, Level 3, La Trobe University City Campus, 360 Collins Street, Melbourne
Since its handover to the People’s Republic of China in 1997, Hong Kong has been ruled under the framework of one country, two systems, according to which the city is supposed to enjoy a “high degree of autonomy” that allows for the maintenance of its distinct way of life. The idea of one country, two systems was originally designed not only to resolve “the Hong Kong question,” but was also supposed to provide a model for Taiwan. Twenty-one years later, however, rather than Hong Kong providing a model for Taiwan, ever more people in Hong Kong are seeking inspiration from the Taiwan model of a nation distinct from the People’s Republic of China. This presentation asks how this came to be. I first analyze the historical emergence of mutual animosity and provocation between the authorities and civil society that led to an unprecedented independence movement. Second, I provide a brief overview of the diverse and often mutually antagonistic wings of this movement. Finally, I analyze the Party-state’s response, examining both the prescriptions of Beijing’s academic Hong Kong-ologists and recent policy developments.
About the Speaker
Dr Kevin Carrico is Senior Lecturer in Chinese Studies at Monash University. He is the author of The Great Han: Race, Nationalism, and Tradition in China Today (University of California Press), Legal Malware: Hong Kong’s National Anthem Law (Hong Kong Watch), and the translator of Tsering Woeser’s Tibet on Fire (Verso Press).