{"title":"Perils of the Orient: Hong Kong as a Battleground in the US-China Rivalry","authors":"C. Fung, Seanon S. Wong","doi":"10.1353/apr.2023.0009","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"Abstract:As a leading financial hub, it is long assumed that Hong Kong plays a limited role in the region's geopolitics. However, its unique status as a semi-autonomous and open city under the otherwise authoritarian rule of Beijing means that it has always been ripe for contention, influence, and subversion not only from the West but also from a China that increasingly seeks to project its power beyond its shores. Unlike its fortified neighbors situated at the fault line in the ongoing US-China rivalry, we argue that Hong Kong is no less consequential to the rivalry. We discuss how Hong Kong has been used as a leverage in the two superpowers' competition in other non-military issue-areas, as a resource to promote their respective mode of governance (authoritarianism versus liberal democracy), and as an exemplar for countries contemplating between the choice of a Chineseversus American-led international order.","PeriodicalId":45424,"journal":{"name":"Asian Perspective","volume":"47 1","pages":"209 - 227"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3000,"publicationDate":"2023-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Asian Perspective","FirstCategoryId":"90","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1353/apr.2023.0009","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Abstract:As a leading financial hub, it is long assumed that Hong Kong plays a limited role in the region's geopolitics. However, its unique status as a semi-autonomous and open city under the otherwise authoritarian rule of Beijing means that it has always been ripe for contention, influence, and subversion not only from the West but also from a China that increasingly seeks to project its power beyond its shores. Unlike its fortified neighbors situated at the fault line in the ongoing US-China rivalry, we argue that Hong Kong is no less consequential to the rivalry. We discuss how Hong Kong has been used as a leverage in the two superpowers' competition in other non-military issue-areas, as a resource to promote their respective mode of governance (authoritarianism versus liberal democracy), and as an exemplar for countries contemplating between the choice of a Chineseversus American-led international order.
期刊介绍:
ASIAN PERSPECTIVE is the peer-reviewed social sciences journal of world/comparative politics of the Institute for Far Eastern Studies, Kyungnam University. Published quarterly, Asian Perspective has devoted its pages to critical analysis of the global, regional, and transnational issues affecting Northeast Asia for over 25 years. Bringing cogent, thought-provoking examination of the significant developments in Asia and the world as they unfold to the scrutiny of its readership, Asian Perspective continues to promote a healthy exchange of ideas among scholars, students, and policymakers.