The Foreign Correspondents' Club Hong Kong

How to reinvigorate democracy around the world

Democracy has been in decline globally in recent years, exacerbated by the arrival of digital technology, the emergence of demagogues, the rise of assertive autocratic states, and a failure in too many places of democracy to deliver tangible results.

This was the message delivered by Derek Mitchell, president of the National Democratic Institute, and former U.S. Ambassador to Myanmar, when he discussed reinvigorating democracy around the world at the November 26 club lunch.

He began by congratulating Hongkongers for having their voices heard in the recent district elections, which saw a landslide victory for the pro-democracy camp. Ambassador Mitchell also discussed the rise of authoritarianism.

Watch the talk here

FCC Statement Condemning Attack on Printing Office of Epoch Times

The Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Hong Kong condemns the attack on Nov. 19 of the printing office of the Hong Kong edition of the Epoch Times, and reiterates its call for the press to be able to operate freely in Hong Kong without the threat of violence or intimidation.

In the early hours of Nov. 19, four masked individuals – including two carrying batons – entered the printing office of the Hong Kong edition of the Epoch Times, a spokeswoman for the newspaper told the FCC. As one of the individuals pointed his baton at a printing office employee, another splashed flammable liquid on printing equipment, and the equipment was then set on fire. The fire and the water from the office’s sprinkler system resulted in damage, the spokeswoman said. The account of the attack was confirmed by CCTV footage shared by the Epoch Times.

Attacks on the press or their facilities are unacceptable. The FCC expresses its growing concern and condemnation of increasing violence and intimidation of the media in Hong Kong. The FCC reiterates its call for an independent inquiry into police violence against journalists and interference with the media’s right to cover the unrest under Hong Kong law. We urge that such an investigation be thorough and transparent.

Nov. 22, 2019

Why China won’t become a democracy anytime soon

China won’t become more liberal anytime soon because its people are satisfied with the way the Chinese Communist Party has lifted many out of poverty, according to a China expert.

Jean-Pierre Cabestan, Professor in Political Science at Hong Kong Baptist University, told the November 14 club lunch that the Chinese government had support from all sections of society, including its billionaire entrepreneurs.

The party is stronger than ever, he said, in part due to the introduction of the social credit system, which monitors citizens, and the restriction of internet access. Its efficient quashing of dissent means its people do not stand up to the one-party system.

Watch the video here

Award-winning novelist Mohammed Hanif on writing and life in Pakistan

So you’ve written your first novel and it’s won widespread plaudits – what next?

Write a second book, of course – but that’s easier said than done, as novelist Mohammed Hanif discovered when he found himself in exactly that position.

The Pakistani journalist and writer is now working on a fourth book following the success of A Case of Exploding Mangoes (2008), Our Lady of Alice Bhatti (2011), and Red Birds (2018). He shared writing tips at the November 13 club lunch and discussed the issues facing his homeland.

Watch the video here

Champion motorcycle road racers Michael Rutter and Peter Hickman discuss life in the fast lane

Michael Rutter and Peter Hickman, two of motorcycle road racing’s most successful riders, revealed the ups and downs of the sport when they appeared at the FCC ahead of the 2019 Macau Grand Prix.

The pair, who between them have dominated their field for the last two decades, talked about how they got into the white-knuckle sport, what they’re thinking about while hitting speeds in excess of 200mph, and the future of electric motorcycle racing.

You can watch this November 12 club lunch below.

Video: A Conversation with the Editor in Chief of The Wall Street Journal

Matt Murray, Editor in Chief of The Wall Street Journal, talked about the newspaper’s big scoops and the future of journalism when he appeared at the club on November 6.

Watch the video.

The Fight for Tech Supremacy Between Silicon Valley and China

A growing distrust of China’s technological prowess is underpinning some of the tension around its trade war with the US, which has led to the threat of Chinese companies being prohibited from publicly listing in the United States, according to experts.

Whereas five years ago there was closer collaboration between China and Silicon Valley, now a ‘splinternet’ is the result of the US pushing back against China, said author and technology writer, Rebecca Fannin, who appeared as a panelist at the FCC on November 6.

Should the United States decide to formally ban Chinese tech firms from listing IPOs there, it would be devastating, said venture capitalist Wei Jiang, a founding partner at Momentor Ventures. He added that Chinese firms would need to seek investment elsewhere.

Stella Xi Jin, a founding partner of China-focused venture capital firm Keytone Ventures, said her company was already investigating other markets, including Hong Kong, Singapore, and Europe.

A growing list of key Chinese tech companies have been added to America’s trade blacklist as Washington seeks to block China’s ascent.

You can watch the talk here.

What next for Hong Kong and China’s growing civil society movement?

China will likely promulgate Article 23 in Hong Kong via an interpretation of the Basic Law rather than through the Legislative Council, predicts a veteran China watcher.

Professor Willy Lam at the FCC. Photo: Sarah Graham/FCC

Professor Willy Wo-Lap Lam, adjunct professor at the Chinese University of Hong Kong’s Centre for China Studies and author of a new book, The Fight for China’s Future: Civil Society vs. the Chinese Communist Party, said this was one of the routes Chinese President Xi Jinping may choose to restore order in Hong Kong, where protests have gripped the city since June. He said the Chinese Communist Party saw the unrest as a Black Swan Event – a colour revolution which was a collusion between anti-Beijing forces within China and hostile foreign forces such as the US. President Xi has in the recent past warned his party of the danger of Black Swan Events.

Describing Hong Kong’s Chief Executive, Carrie Lam, as a “lame duck”, Prof Lam also predicted that the CCP was unlikely to undermine her authority further by sacking her, and so would keep her in post while they chose a successor before she stood down.

Guests at the November 5 club lunch were taken through a presentation highlighting China’s growing civil society movement, which has seen army veterans, workers and students protest throughout the country.

AFP launches 2019 Kate Webb Prize for Asian journalists

International news agency Agence France-Presse has launched the 2019 Kate Webb Prize to recognise exceptional Asian journalists doing difficult and dangerous work across the region.

Kate Webb. Photo: AFP

The contest is open to locally hired Asian photo, video and text journalists, for work published during 2019.

The winner, who will be selected by a panel of experienced journalists, will receive 3,000 euros (approximately $3,300).

“Many countries in the Asia-Pacific region continue to pose significant challenges for press freedoms, and investigative journalism in particular,” said Philippe Massonnet, AFP’s regional director.

“The Kate Webb Prize aims to recognise and support local journalists who take on those challenges, often without the logistical and protective backing of a large media organisation,” he added.

Freelance reporter Asad Hashim won the 2018 prize for his coverage of the plight of ethnic Pashtuns and blasphemy issues in his native Pakistan.

The Kate Webb prize, now in its 11th year, is named after a crusading AFP reporter who died in 2007 at the age of 64 after a colourful career covering the world’s trouble spots – including Afghanistan.

Please send applications by email to the Kate Webb Prize Jury at [email protected] no later than midnight in Hong Kong (1600 GMT) on November 15, 2019.

For information on how to apply, click here.

Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act: The case for and against

The Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act may work to safeguard the freedoms promised under One Country, Two Systems, but concerns have been raised around the potential economic impact of sanctions on the city.

These issues and others were discussed at the FCC by lawmaker Regina Ip, Legco member Charles Mok, and Tara Joseph, President of the American Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong.

Joseph pointed out that the bill, which is currently going passing its way through the US Senate, was simply an amendment to the existing United States-Hong Kong Policy Act and that it demonstrated “strong cooperation between Hong Kong and the US, and shows Washington is concerned about what’s happening here”.

Ip, a pro-Beijing politician, criticised the way in which the bill had so far passed through the Senate, saying that Hong Kong government representatives had offered to give evidence in the same manner as pro-democracy representatives, but had not been invited.

Legco member Charles Mok told the October 24 panel that he felt Hong Kong’s freedoms were being eroded, citing the de facto expulsion of the FCC’s Victor Mallet from the city in 2018 after he hosted a discussion with Andy Chan, founder of the now-banned Hong Kong National Party.

Watch the video of the case for and against