The implementation of a new National Security Law in Hong Kong in March has once again garnered international attention and sparked widespread concerns about the future of the region. Join us on Tuesday, July 16 for an in-depth discussion on the intricate landscape of Hong Kong’s future against the backdrop of evolving geopolitical dynamics. Our speakers will offer varied perspectives on the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead for Hong Kong’s society and economy, covering its autonomy, civil rights, social stability, economy, "global financial hub" status, and the operations of international businesses in the region.

Our distinguished panel includes Scott Kennedy, Senior Adviser and Trustee Chair in Chinese Business and Economics at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS); Ronny Tong, Senior Counsel and a non-official member of the Executive Council in Hong Kong; Shibani Mahtani, an international investigative correspondent for the Washington Post; Timothy McLaughlin, a prize-winning contributing writer for The Atlantic; and David Tang, Partner at K&L Gates, as the moderator. 

This is a virtual, off-the-record event and free to Asia Society Northern California and Seattle members. Non-members should email [email protected] for registration inquires. The Zoom link will be emailed to registered attendees 24 hours before the event. Registration and confirmation of registration is required. 

SPEAKER BIOS

Scott Kennedy is Senior Adviser and Trustee Chair in Chinese Business and Economics at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). A leading authority on Chinese economic policy and U.S.-China commercial relations, Kennedy has been traveling to China for 36 years. Ongoing areas of focus include China’s innovation drive, Chinese industrial policy, U.S.-China relations, and global economic governance.

His articles have appeared in a wide array of policy, popular, and academic venues, including the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, and China Quarterly. Major publications include: U.S.-China Scholarly Recoupling: Advancing Mutual Understanding in an Era of Intense Rivalry (CSIS, March 2024); (with Wang Jisi) Breaking the Ice: The Role of Scholarly Exchange in Stabilizing U.S.-China Relations (CSIS, 2023); China’s Uneven High-Tech Drive: Implications for the United States (CSIS, 2020); Global Governance and China: The Dragon’s Learning Curve (Routledge, 2018); The Fat Tech Dragon: Benchmarking China’s Innovation Drive (CSIS, 2017); and The Business of Lobbying in China (Harvard University Press, 2005).

Kennedy hosts the “China Field Notes” podcast, which features voices from on the ground in China, and the Trustee Chair co-runs the “Big Data China” initiative, which introduces pathbreaking scholarly research to the policy community.

From 2000 to 2014, Kennedy was a professor at Indiana University (IU), where he established the Research Center for Chinese Politics & Business and was the founding academic director of IU’s China Office. Kennedy received a PhD in political science from George Washington University, his M.A. from Johns Hopkins-SAIS, and his B.A. from the University of Virginia.

Ronny Tong, GBS, KC, SC, JP is Senior Counsel and a non-official member of the Executive Council. He was previously a Legislative Council Member, and Chairman of the Hong Kong Bar Association. Mr Tong established Path of Democracy in 2015, determined to build a “Third Way” in a polarised political atmosphere by bringing people from various social strata and interest groups together, trying to be a coordinator for the overall good of society

Shibani Mahtani is an international investigative correspondent for the Washington Post. Shibani and Timothy McLaughlin co-authored the book: Among the Braves: Hope, Struggle, and Exile in the Battle for Hong Kong and the Future of Global Democracy. She was previously the Post’s Hong Kong and Southeast Asia bureau chief and a correspondent for the Wall Street Journal based in Singapore, Yangon, and Chicago. Her Hong Kong coverage was honored with prizes including a Human Rights Press Award for an investigation into police misconduct. She is a graduate of the London School of Economics and Political Science and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. 

Timothy McLaughlin is a prize-winning contributing writer for The Atlantic. He is the co-author of the book: Among the Braves: Hope, Struggle, and Exile in the Battle for Hong Kong and the Future of Global Democracy. Previously he worked for Reuters news agency. His work has also appeared in publications including WIRED, The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times, and Prospect. He has won multiple awards for his Hong Kong coverage, including two Best in Business Awards from the Society for Advancing Business Editing, and is a two-time finalist for The Livingston Award for International Reporting. He is a graduate of the University of Southern California. Mahtani and McLaughlin live in Singapore with their adopted Hong Kong village dog, Bean. 

David Tang was born in Hong Kong, opened the Hong Kong office for his law firm in 1996 and has most recently been based in Hong Kong since 2011 for the law firm of K&L Gates where he has been the managing partner in the Asia region, which includes their 7 offices in Asia. His law practice concentrates in the areas of foreign investment, cross-border financings and mergers and acquisitions. He has more than 40 years of transactional experience in the Greater China market as a practicing lawyer. Mr.Tang was managing partner of Preston Gates & Ellis LLP from 1995–1999, a predecessor law firm to the formation of K&L Gates LLP. He is recognized in Best Lawyers and China Business Law Journal, among other directories.

Among his activities, Mr. Tang is a member of the Asia Society Seattle Advisory Board and Asia Society Hong Kong, Council of Foreign Relations and the World Justice Project Leadership Council, is the Trustee of the Blakemore Foundation, has been on the Council of The American Law Institute, the Boards of the National Committee on US-China Relations, and the National Bureau of Asia Research, and a former Chair of the American Bar Foundation, Anglo American Real Property Institute and Greater Seattle Chamber of Commerce. He served on the Board of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco and as its Chair. He chairs the American Bar Association Standing Committee on Trade in International Legal Services. Mr. Tang holds an AB (magna) from Harvard University; a JD from Columbia University; and a Certificate from The Hague Academy of International Law.