Moderator: Jerome A. Cohen, NYU Law, Speaker: Michael Davis, University of Hong Kong

How can one of the world’s most free-wheeling cities transition from being a vibrant global center of culture and finance into a subject of authoritarian control? The “one country, two systems” model China promised Hong Kong has slowly drained away in the years since the British colony was returned to Chinese rule in 1997. The people of Hong Kong riveted the world’s attention in 2019 by pouring into the streets to demand the autonomy, rule of law, and basic freedoms they were promised. Beijing responded on June 30, 2020 by imposing a new National Security Law aimed to snuff out protests. We will hear from Michael Davis, who has taught human rights and constitutional law in Hong Kong for over three decades and is author of the recently published book, Making Hong Kong China: The Rollback of Human Rights and the Rule of Law.