The Hong Kong Crackdown — Five Years On

featuring
Mark L. Clifford 
President
Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong Foundation

Speaker’s summary:
Five years ago, Beijing imposed a sweeping National Security Law on Hong Kong — overnight transforming peaceful protest into “crime.” Since then, nearly 2,000 political prisoners have been jailed; more than 700 remain behind bars today.

Hong Kong has become a case study in authoritarian control — and how the Chinese Communist Party silences dissent. Once-guaranteed freedoms of speech, press, and religion have been dismantled. Lawyers, educators, and elected politicians have been imprisoned, independent newspapers shuttered, and journalists jailed. Our speaker, who had been editor in chief of both of Hong Kong’s English language newspapers, will provide an insider’s account of the city’s dramatic transformation. 

Speaker’s Bio:
Mark L. Clifford is president of the Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong Foundation, an NGO dedicated to democracy, human rights, and the rule of law for the people of Hong Kong. Previously, he was executive director of the Hong Kong–based Asia Business Council, and a board director at Next Digital, the Hong Kong media giant founded and majority-owned by Jimmy Lai. During his twenty-eight years in Hong Kong, he served as editor-in-chief of both English-language newspapers, the South China Morning Post and The Standard, of which he was also publisher. He holds a PhD in Hong Kong history from the University of Hong Kong. Clifford has won numerous journalism, academic, and book awards, and is the author of Today Hong Kong, Tomorrow the World: What China’s Crackdown Reveals About Its Plans to End Freedom Everywhere.

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The views expressed are those of the speaker and do not necessarily reflect East-West Center policies or positions.

The China Seminar was founded by Dr. Daniel W.Y. Kwok in 1977. Under his guidance, it became a signature program of the Friends of the East-West Center (FEWC) in 2009. The program provides an informal venue for China experts, such as scholars, diplomats, and journalists, to present talks on aspects of China that interest the community and members of the Friends. Topics include politics, economics, social issues, history, culture, food, arts, and many other subjects.