The NPI "Ask What You Want to Know" series is a forum in which leading researchers discuss issues of current interest and field questions from the attendees.

On July 1, 2022, Hong Kong marked the 25th anniversary of its handover from British colonial rule to China. The "one country, two systems" principle was supposed to remain in place after 1997 for 50 years. However, in June 2020, the "Law of the People's Republic of China on Safeguarding National Security in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region" (NSL) was passed, and, in 2021, the election system was changed at the initiative of the Chinese government, making the election of democratic legislators hopeless. Then, in May 2022, John Lee Ka-chiu, who was instrumental in the enactment of the NSL, was elected as Chief Executive with the support of the Chinese government. What kind of city will Hong Kong become under the new administration of John Lee Ka-chiu, who has risen through the ranks of Deputy Commissioner of the Hong Kong Police Force and Secretary for Security to become the new Chief Executive? We invited Kurata Toru, Professor, Rikkyo University, a leading researcher on Hong Kong politics, and Kobayashi Tetsuro, Associate Professor, City University of Hong Kong, who specializes in political psychology and empirical research on public opinion, to discuss "Chinalization of Hong Kong," Hong Kong as seen through the analysis of public opinion, and the future of Hong Kong's democratic faction and democracy.

Moderator

Kawashima Shin, Executive Director of Research, NPI; Professor, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, The University of Tokyo

Panelists

Kurata Toru, Professor, Department of Politics, College of Law and Politics, Rikkyo University

Kobayashi Tetsuro, Associate Professor, Department of Media and Communication, City University of Hong Kong

Active discussion was held with the participation by attendees from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, other government agencies, corporations, and the mass media. Questions from attendees were organized into the following six groups and posed to the panelists on the day of the event.

1. How is judicial independence in Hong Kong maintained, given that "Politics is Chinese style, the economy is Hong Kong style"?

2. What is the influence of China in the Legislative Council of the John Lee Ka-chiu administration? What initiatives does the Legislative Council intend to take in the future? How will the differences in positions and opinions in the Legislative Council be sorted out?

3. Are there any changes in the academic environment in Hong Kong? If so, what kind of changes are they?

4. What will happen to the principle "the previous capitalist system and way of life shall remain unchanged for 50 years" and what do you think will happen in the next 25 years?

5. Education in Hong Kong would also be influenced by Mainland China; how does Hong Kong view its relationship with Japan?

6. What are some of the key issues to watch for in Hong Kong's situation in the future?