Message from OHKF President - July 2020
The Covid-19 continues to send shocks through the world. In observing social distancing restrictions due to the pandemic, OHKF hosted a series of virtual events with local and international experts around the world without geographical limitations. On 17 June and 8 July, we organised two ‘INSIGHT FORUM’ live webinars with Dr Allan Zeman and Professor Stephen Roach respectively.
Dr Allan Zeman, a prominent entrepreneur, delivered messages of hope pertaining to Hong Kong’s staying power in overcoming challenges on local and external fronts, and believed that the implementation of the national security law will strengthen the city like any other place in the world that has its national security law. We were also honoured to have Professor Stephen Roach, Senior Fellow at Yale Jackson Institute for Global Affairs, who shared his expert views on the post-Covid economic pitfalls, including asymmetrical normalisation and deglobalisation arising from reshoring calls. Professor Roach warned that Sino-US relations were rupturing and foresaw a US dollar crash of 35% by end-2021. To watch full replay of the webinars, please visit here.
The first virtual forum of our hallmark ‘China Masters Series’ in 2020 was held on 19 June. For this forum, we invited Professor Zhang Weiwei, Director of the China Institute at Fudan University, who shared his master insights on the topic of democracy and Hong Kong’s choice. He analysed the shortcomings of Western democracy and encouraged Hong Kong people to understand China’s political and economic developments from a positive prospective. The live forum was broadcast on ifeng.com, a leading news media company in China, and generated 1.2 million total views locally and globally. To watch full replay of the forum, please visit here.
Moving on to our research work, conscientious effort has been made to advocate a more sustainable banking system and to collaborate with leading global think tanks in fostering a rapid response to Covid-19. On 26 June, we organised an international webinar entitled ‘Sustainable Banking: Now and the Way Forward’, with seven international field experts from London, Beijing, and Hong Kong who advocated for a banking system that is resilient to environmental and social risks. Mr Joseph Chan, Under Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury of the HKSAR Government, was one of the panellists who noted that the Hong Kong government has been a keen supporter of green finance development and that the Government will continue to work closely with industry experts and think tanks to bolster Hong Kong’s position as a leading green and sustainable finance centre in Asia and globally.
Our research team has been collaborating with over 160 leading think tanks from 90 countries worldwide to research on ways to address public health issues amid the Covid-19 crisis—a collective effort to foster a rapid response to the challenges posed by the pandemic. This collaboration was initiated by the Think Tanks & Civil Societies Program of The Lauder Institute at the University of Pennsylvania, resulting in the production of five action-oriented policy reports that will be conveyed to national governments, regional and global IGOS, and the G7 and G20. As part of the Working Group on ‘Addressing the Public Health Crisis’, the OHKF research team led work on the recommendations concerning ‘Treatment of Non-Covid Patients’. We presented recommendations at the third ‘Global Virtual Think Tank Town Hall’ on 30 June, which attracted about 600 senior scholars and executives from leading think tanks around the world.
To help Hong Kong people understand the historical roots of Hong Kong and to have more rounded knowledge of life in China today, the Foundation title-sponsored an all-new TVB two-minute segments—with five core series covering the history, current and future development of China in 182 episodes. The series aims to deliver a positive message and encourage the general public to rise to the challenges ahead during difficult times. The first series ‘Every History Tells a Story’ has been put on the air on multiple TVB channels since 6 July.
Meanwhile, we have made much progress in our commitment to providing learning support to students. After three months of research & development, the Academy of Chinese Studies has launched an interactive VR Learning Kit that allows students to learn more about living in China and four VR 360-degree panoramic images on Chinese urban and rural areas, which aim to enhance learning on Life and Society and Liberal Studies subjects for secondary students. Nearly 1,000 sets of VR learning glasses were sent to participating schools. We feel excited about the launch, as it came at the right time during the pandemic to harness technology to support students’ learning.
A new online reading scheme called ‘Fireflies Reading’ will be launched in October this year. Targeted for senior primary students, junior and senior secondary students, over 300 articles will be available relating to Chinese history, culture and liberal studies for each student group. This reading scheme is designed to cultivate a reading habit in students, and has received enthusiastic support from over 87,000 primary and secondary students of 240 schools.
The ‘Hong Kong Chronicles’ project continues to move forward in full swing from the initial planning to the current editorial phase. The first volume, Overview cum Memorabilia, is scheduled for release by the end of this year, with a special ceremony to commemorate the milestone and followed by an Exhibition Roadshow across Hong Kong in partnership with the Home Affairs Bureau in the first half of next year. The second volume, Hong Kong’s Participation in China’s Reform and Opening-Up, will also be published next year. The Institute will take every step in putting together the remaining 60-plus volumes, including setting up a mechanism for outsourcing and appointing academic reviewers, while working closely with stakeholders, so as to complete Hong Kong’s first-ever local chronicles by 2027. Publicity initiatives will also be rolled out gradually, including the launch of a website, social media portals and an electronic database by the end of the year, for raising public awareness and maximising the functions of local chronicles as a record of history, a reference for government and a tool for education.
A challenging year lies before us with the resurgence of local Covid-19 cases and a long road to economic recovery. ‘Never confuse a single defeat with a final defeat,’ as F. Scott Fitzgerald once wrote. We may be hit by the virus time and time again, but as long as we stand united, together we will fight and win!
Take care and please stay safe and healthy!
Eva Cheng
Executive Director
Our Hong Kong Foundation
