logo
episode-header-image
Jun 2022
33m 27s

Hong Kong's 25 year slide from democracy

THE TIMES
About this episode

This week marks 25 years since the UK handover of Hong Kong to China, with the promise of ‘one country, two systems’. Then, the former British colony was told its freedom would endure, but has a security crackdown turned it into just another Chinese city?

This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today and get one month free at: thetimes.co.uk/storiesofourtimes.

Guest: Stephen Vines, broadcaster and Sunday Times contributor.

Host: Manveen Rana.

Clips from BBC, Sky News, Information Services Department, HKSARG, CNN, NBC News, France 24, AFP, South China Morning Post, Hong Kong Free Press, ABC News, Channel 4 News.



See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Up next
Yesterday
Are we close to a Gaza ceasefire?
With people around the world calling for a lasting peace in Gaza, Israeli PM Binyamin Netanyahu has been schmoozing US President Donald Trump. What chance is there that the two will bring an end to the bloody conflict? And what hope that any peace will hold?This podcast was broug ... Show More
30m 15s
Jul 8
Texas floods: could the deaths have been prevented?
Over 100 people, including dozens of children, are dead after flash flooding in Texas. Could this have been avoided given a nearly identical tragedy took place in 1987? Did Trump’s cuts contribute? And what went wrong with the flood warning system?This podcast was brought to you ... Show More
25m 15s
Jul 7
The mushroom killer: what the jury heard
Erin Patterson has been found guilty of murdering three relatives by lacing their beef wellington with death cap mushrooms. She was also found guilty of attempting to murder a fourth person. The prosecution said she did it on purpose; she says it was an accident. It took a jury i ... Show More
30m 46s
Recommended Episodes
Jun 2022
The Economist Asks: What’s the future for Hong Kong?
Twenty-five years ago, Britain returned Hong Kong to China. The handover was based on a promise the city would retain its high degree of autonomy. That pledge now lies in tatters.  Host Anne McElvoy asks Chris Patten, the last colonial governor, why Hong Kong’s nascent democracy ... Show More
41m 26s
Mar 2024
Ep.517: “Hong Kong è finita”
Hong Kong ormai assomiglia a una normale città cinese. I dissidenti e gli stranieri come Stephen Roach, che l’hanno a lungo considerata casa, ormai non la riconoscono più. La città che era famosa come centro finanziario ora è famosa per le leggi repressive. La protesta ha perso e ... Show More
8m 22s
Feb 2024
What’s the new proposed security law in Hong Kong?
Hong Kong’s government has said it wants to pass a new national security law. It comes four years after China imposed sweeping legislation in the wake of massive pro-democracy protests.The proposed law would lay out five major areas of offenses: treason, insurrection, theft of st ... Show More
13m 50s
Sep 2020
Jimmy Lai vs. China
This episode contains strong language.Jimmy Lai was born in mainland China but made his fortune in Hong Kong, starting as a sweatshop worker and becoming a clothing tycoon. After the Tiananmen massacre in 1989, he turned his attention to the media, launching publications critical ... Show More
32m 47s
Jul 2020
A Turning Point for Hong Kong
After protests convulsed Hong Kong for much of the last year, the city’s pro-democracy movement has been chilled by a new law that some say may change the semiautomonous territory forever. Today, we examine why China chose this moment to assert control, and what the new law means ... Show More
25m 5s
Jan 2020
Ep.308 - The Media War Over The Hong Kong Protests
For more than half a year, protesters in Hong Kong have clashed with police. Legacy media organizations in Canada have covered the protests, but a big part of the conversation is taking place somewhere else. Producer Tiffany Lam reports on a disruption at Hong Kong protest zine e ... Show More
28m 42s
Jul 2020
The Economist Asks: Hong Kong's future
With a sweeping new national-security law, has China won the battle for Hong Kong? Anne McElvoy interviews Regina Ip, a pro-Beijing member of Hong Kong’s cabinet, and Nathan Law, a prominent pro-democracy activist who has fled to the UK. Mrs Ip claims the democratic movement has ... Show More
31m 3s