https://www.scmp.com/rss/315102/feed Evan Fowler, a Hongkonger, is an independent researcher on Hong Kong and China affairs, and an associate fellow at the Henry Jackson Society (UK). en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com In the past 18 months, relations between Britain and China have taken a turn for the worse. The “golden age” heralded during President Xi Jinping’s state visit in 2015 may have been wishful thinking, but it would equally be a mistake to seek an overcorrection. While accepting that there are legitimate concerns and points of critical difference, both the UK and China should not overlook the many positives that remain in what is an important relationship for both, from economic links to climate... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3113970/sino-british-relationship-needs-more-pragmatic-engagement-not-less?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3113970/sino-british-relationship-needs-more-pragmatic-engagement-not-less?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 15 Dec 2020 07:45:18 +0000 On Sunday I was at Tamar. Like the majority of the crowd gathered there I went not to cause a disturbance but to express my displeasure at the way the authorities were handling the student protests. Even standing on the side, among others who had obviously come to observe, the police fired a tear gas canister in my direction. It was unprovoked. The crowd did not push the police. There was no threat. That day I cried like never before. My eyes were blinded by pain and tears, and my lungs seemed... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1608758/brutal-policing-protests-undermines-hong-kongs-unique-way?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1608758/brutal-policing-protests-undermines-hong-kongs-unique-way?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 03 Oct 2014 04:08:14 +0000 I recently caught up with an old friend who has spent the past four years in Shanghai. He and his family have relocated back to Hong Kong for work. "Hong Kong is not the same city we left," he said. "There's been a fundamental change." When I asked him what he meant, he told me how, over a family dinner, his brother-in-law had received an email from work ordering him to sign a petition. If he did not, the email threatened, he would lose his job. He signed the petition. "No one at dinner seemed... https://www.scmp.com/comment/article/1576812/anti-occupy-movement-blame-polarisation-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/article/1576812/anti-occupy-movement-blame-polarisation-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 19 Aug 2014 06:15:00 +0000 The Saturday before last I received a message from an editor at House News. It read, "Storm has arrived. Your writing must not stop." When I checked online, instead of a news page, there was only a written statement from Tony Tsoi Tung-ho. House News had closed. Tony began by stating his "fear". He wrote of Hong Kong having changed; of pressure and surveillance; and of a wave or atmosphere of "white terror". He stated his need to travel to the mainland for business, and the deepening sense of... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1564375/house-news-closure-was-no-business-usual?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1564375/house-news-closure-was-no-business-usual?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 03 Aug 2014 18:45:45 +0000