Profs and Pints Online presents: “Hong Kong—Laboratory for Cold War?” with Robert Daly, director of the Wilson Center's Kissinger Institute on China and the United States.

Relations between China and the U.S., two great superpowers, have been pushed to the breaking point by China’s announcement that it will impose a new national security law on Hong Kong and a U.S. declaration that Hong Kong has effectively been stripped of its autonomy from the Peoples Republic of China.

Fury over the former British colony comes amidst unresolved hostility over the Covid-19 pandemic, which in turn emerged amidst an ongoing trade war. Domestic politics in both countries makes this formula for disaster even more combustible.

Join Profs and Pints Online for an interactive talk that will offer a historical review of the Hong Kong standoff and a look at the role this beloved, beleaguered city is playing in the global competition between the United States and China. We’ll examine the Peoples Republic of China's approach to governance and nationhood, its aspirations to regional and global leadership, and the tensions that have resulted as people in Hong Kong have rejected the China model and reaffirmed their own desire for democracy and modernity.

The speaker, Robert Daly, previously gave a fantastic talk on China on the Profs and Pints stage. He began work in U.S.-China relations as a cultural exchanges officer at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing in the late 80s and previously served as American Director of the Johns Hopkins-Nanjing University Center for Chinese and American Studies. He has testified before Congress on U.S.-China relations, lectured at hundreds of Chinese and American institutions, and lived in China for 12 years, interpreting Chinese and American leaders, including Jimmy Carter.

Profs & Pints Online: Hong Kong—Laboratory for Cold War?