An Evening Discussion with EMILY LAU and AUDREY EU, Hong Kong Legislative Councilors

After a heated political tug of war, Hong Kong's Legislative Council passed government bills to expand the electoral college to choose the Chief Executive and to increase the number of elected seats in the legislature. The breakthrough came when the central government responded to the moderate democrats' compromise package. The government describes the votes as "historic" and a big step forward, and called for an end to "hatred and attacks." Have the divisions in political reform widened the rift in Hong Kong society? What is Hong Kong's political landscape, going forward? Does Beijing's compromise signal a paradigm shift and could it lead to the widening of Hong Kong's path to democracy? Do functional constituencies have any value and should they be abolished? What is the future of a divided Democratic Party? We have invited leading Legco members to share their views.

Emily Lau, Lawmaker representing New Territories East and Vice Chairman of the Democratic Party. She graduated in journalism at the University of Southern California and received her M.Sc. in International Relations from the London School of Economics and Political Science.

Audrey Eu, Lawmaker representing Hong Kong Island and Leader of the Civic Party. She is a Senior Counsel and a former Chairman of the Hong Kong Bar Association. Eu graduated from the University of Hong Kong and the University of London.

Moderated by Zoher Abdoolcarim, Asia Editor, TIME International

Co-hosted with TIME International and American Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong