logo
episode-header-image
Jun 2022
41m 26s

The Economist Asks: What’s the future fo...

The Economist
About this episode

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 was thwarted. Sue-Lin Wong, The Economist’s China correspondent, tells Anne how China tightened its grip on Hong Kong. And, exiled activist Nathan Law ponders the future of the pro-democracy movement. 


Please subscribe to The Economist for full access to print, digital and audio editions:

www.economist.com/podcastoffer




Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Up next
Yesterday
Liberté, égalité, désordre: chaos in France
France’s newly-appointed prime minister has resigned only weeks into the job. Now President Emmanual Macron has given him 48 hours to come up with a plan for next year’s budget. Can Macron survive the turmoil? As driverless taxis take over San Francisco, what will happen to the h ... Show More
21m 3s
Oct 7
Man of steel, and aluminium: Carney talks trade with Trump
The swiftest way for Prime Minister Mark Carney to ease pressure on Canada’s economy is to convince President Donald Trump today to pare back tariffs. But he has far broader plans afoot, too. A heady online mix of e-commerce and entertainment is creating a new generation of shopp ... Show More
21m 58s
Oct 6
One peace at a time: hopeful Gaza talks
As negotiators gather in Egypt, appetite for a short-term peace seems high on all sides. But there is much ambiguity surrounding a lasting accord. In New York, renters fear being evicted far less than they once did—but pity flat-hunters. And remembering Kim Seong Min, a North Kor ... Show More
22m 54s
Recommended Episodes
Aug 2021
The struggle for the soul of Hong Kong
Each Monday this August, we're looking back at some of the stories from the past year that stuck with us.In June 2020, with the world's attention on the pandemic, Hong Kong’s freedoms were under threat as the Chinese government imposed a draconian new security law. Now, the city ... Show More
28m 21s
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
Jun 2022
Hong Kong's 25 year slide from democracy
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 ... Show More
33m 27s
Jun 2022
Money Talks: The fight for financial supremacy in Asia
For decades, Hong Kong, Shanghai and Singapore have been the three heavyweight cities in Asian business and finance, with Hong Kong the undisputed champion. But as the city-state’s draconian security law and zero covid policy begin to bite, its rivals are going for the title.In t ... Show More
37m 36s
Oct 2022
The Prince bonus 2: The 20th party congress
Host Sue-Lin Wong dissects the unexpected and the foreseen from the Chinese Communist Party’s five-yearly meeting, with The Economist’s Beijing bureau chief David Rennie, who was there. How did Xi Jinping use the event to tighten his grip on power?  Listen to The Economist’s new ... Show More
29m 51s
Sep 2023
Money Talks: China’s property crisis
Thousands of building projects across China have been halted or dramatically slowed as a rolling crisis engulfs the country’s property sector. The government’s “three red lines” policy sought to limit the leverage of property developers, but has now forced scores of them into def ... Show More
43m 16s
Jan 2024
Regina Ip: What is Hong Kong's future?
Stephen Sackur speaks to Regina Ip, an influential pro-Beijing lawmaker in Hong Kong. For years China has been tightening its grip on the territory it took back from Britain. Pro-democracy activism, political opposition and press freedom have all been curtailed. So what is Hong K ... Show More
23m 33s
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