Season's Greetings - and Happy New Year!

Best wishes to you and your families on this holiday season and for a Peaceful and Prosperous 2008!

POLI0019/POLI0068: Returning Papers

I have finished all the grading - with great help from Mr Wong, I should note. I would like to return the papers to you as soon as possible. Unfortunately, I am in Manila and have them all with me, as well as the exam scripts. I will be back in Hong Kong early in the New Year. I will be in my office all of the afternoon of Friday, 4 January, if you wish to come by. Otherwise, you can pick them up from the PPA Department counter. Thanks for your patience.

Returning Papers

I apologize for not getting back to you sooner on returning your papers. This is the first time I'm grading such a large number of students. Unfortunately, I need to hold on to your papers a little longer as I feel I need to have them at hand as I finalize all the marks just to make sure there are no errors, particularly given that there are 85 people in the class. I hope you will bear with me a little while longer. Thank you.

Good Luck!

...and to those taking exams, Good Luck! I'm sure you'll do fine.

Hong Kong to the World

I don't know if any of you click on the sitemeter which is on the side of the blog. I regularly check it to see how much traffic the blog is getting and from where people are logging in. Most of the hits of course come from Hong Kong - and as I've mentioned, I do notice that a number of you come to the blog in the wee hours.

We have had an increasing number of overseas visitors, from the U.S., Canada, Australia, Europe, Asia and even Africa. We get a lot of people who find us through Google searches, e.g. "hong kong cultural desert" or "regina ip facebook". We also have been getting a fair number of visitors from other universities including Princeton, Fudan University (yes, he have had hits from the mainland...just how, I don't know), the University of Virginia, the University of Ottawa, the University of Pennsylvania, Stanford, the University of Sheffield, and others. Unfortunately, the only outsider who has posted is some weird guy from Brazil who was selling something in Portuguese and whose comments are probably posted by a bot. Still, at the end of this course, the accumulated comments and postings form a substantial collection of ideas, thoughts and wisdom on Hong Kong's role in the world, from which we all and others out in cyberspace can learn. They are your ideas, thoughts and wisdom - and for your contributions I am thankful.

Blog posts are welcome through today (for coursework credit) - and beyond. After the course is done, you may never wish to come back to this blog again. But if you do, always feel free to post a comment - or just say hello.

Reposting: Not Just the Mainland's Fault

This news item relating to toy safety underscores how the actions of a Hong Kong company can affect not just Hong Kong's reputation but China's. And in this case, it is China's reputation that takes the battering.
You might also read this article on Yale Global by two researchers at Australian National University's Contemporary China Centre, Anita Chan and Jonathan Unger. They write: “The neglect of safety standards in these factories used to be more severe before the big brand-name corporations that contract out their production to China-based factories came under attack in the 1990s in an anti-sweatshop campaign by Western NGOs.” According to Ms Chan and Mr Unger, "multinationals have adopted strict community-responsibility programs, and yet do not speak out for injured Chinese workers. Products will only be truly safe when companies extend respect to workers and consumers – monitoring all steps in the long supply chains that create many popular products."

Rush Hours

I am impressed by the amount of traffic on the blog, not to mention the number of postings over the past few days. In the 24-hour period from noon yesterday to noon today, the blog received a record 117 visits! I'm sorry for the rush but appreciate your participation. The next time I teach this course, if there is a next time, I will likely have staggered deadlines so that there isn't such a heavy turnout at the eleventh hour.

If anybody wishes to break out from commenting on anything that's posted or any of the the posed questions and would like to start an original thread, it's never too late. Please just send me your comment or question and I will post it for you.

China and the U.S.: Looking at Each Other

The Committee of 100, the New York-based organization of prominent Chinese-Americans, yesterday released a "mirror survey" of Chinese and American attitudes towards each other. Conducted by Zogby International in the U.S. and Horizon Research Consultancy Group in China, it found that a majority of Americans see China's rising economic and military power as a threat, while many Chinese view the U.S. as trying to prevent their country from becoming a world power. According to the study, 60% of the Chinese public surveyed had a favorable impression of the U.S., while just over a quarter had a unfavorable view. Among the Americans polled, 52% had a favorable view of China, while 45% had an unfavorable opinion.

You may be interested in looking at the report. I should note that the Committee of 100 is one of my clients.

Reaction to the By-Election: A View from Washington

In this Heritage Foundation Web memo reacting to Anson Chan Fang On-sang's by-election victory, Ambassador Harvey Feldman, Distinguished Fellow in China Policy at the Asia Studies Center of the influential conservative think tank in Washington, says that Mrs Chan's "election likely will give new energy to the movement for greater democracy and universal suffrage in Hong Kong, but the obstacles imposed by Beijing remain many and daunting." Ambassador Feldman, who served as an American foreign service officer in Hong Kong for eight years, calls on the United States to "continue to insist on the path toward an autonomous Hong Kong, governed by the rule of law and having universal suffrage and greater democracy, as provided in the Basic Law itself." He concludes: "Through its Consul General in Hong Kong, as well as through Congressional and Executive actions, America should support the democratic forces within Hong Kong society."

Nasty Habits

I was chatting with a friend about the nasty feud between Emily Lau and Ronnie Chan and how it spilled over into our class. He noted that in the past week we saw former Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa shouted down by protesters as he was delivering an address at a convocation at which he received an honorary degree. In addition, he remarked, a senior government official sharply criticized Anson Chan Fang On-sang on her first day as a legislator. The political climate in Hong Kong is getting so tense and the attacks from all sides are becoming more pointed and vitriolic, he observed. Is this simply a natural development as we approach legislative elections next year? Or is our society becoming more and more fragmented and the debate divisive and negative? Maybe this has always been the case and the enmities are harder to hide as crucial polls near.

I would think that the public would prefer a kinder, gentler approach to political discourse and resolving our disputes, but is that likely? And if indeed the environment is becoming more tense, will this affect Hong Kong's stature as a global city? Perhaps it only shows to the rest of the world that, like any society, we have differences of opinion - and that we are a free, open and vibrant community. Any thoughts?

Cabled and Wireless

Hong Kong is one of the best wired cities in the world (in terms of broadband penetration, in 2006, the SAR was ranked ninth by the International Telecommunications Union, the ITU, just behind Sweden and ahead of Canada and the U.K.) - and by 2009, it aims to have one of the best wireless networks anywhere. This has to be an important factor in boosting Hong Kong's global competitiveness, particularly if we take competitiveness essentially to mean productivity.

POLI0019 Exam: Time and Venue

I would just like to remind POLI0019 students that the final exam is scheduled for Friday, 14 December, from 9.30 am to 11.30 am at the Lindsay Ride Sports Centre, which is near the intersection of Pokfulam Road and Pokfield Road, adjacent to the Flora Ho Sports Centre. (Check out this map.) Please come on time. I will be there to distribute the exam papers and to take any questions which might arise during the first half hour.

Welcoming Immigrants: Canada's Experience

This article on how Asian immigration has changed the complexion of Canada's population is an interesting story that describes how welcoming immigrants can result in a vibrant, culturally rich society with little social tension, if managed well.

POLI0019 Exam

Thanks to all of you who came to the optional lecture this afternoon. If you have any questions at all, please do contact me.

Two students asked a very good question: Which is more important - what the guest speakers said in class or the readings? In tackling the exam questions, I hope that you would make reference to both. Perhaps I should say that the outstanding exam essays will make useful reference to both speakers and readings, as well as any other appropriate authorities. When I was in university, there were many classes in which the readings did not precisely correlate with the lectures, but you were meant to gain insights from both - and be responsible for both.

That said, I do accept that some of the readings were not exactly in-step with what we discussed in class. Still, key readings such as Yash Ghai's articles, Bill Overholt, Prof. Tang's essay, and others I highlighted in the blog are worth looking at again. I do, however, consider the lectures and the ideas and concepts we heard in class from our guests as the meat of the course.

The nature or style of the questions will not be unlike those that have been posted on the blog. As I mentioned earlier, posting a comment on the blog would be excellent practice for the exam. Another great way to prepare might be to sit down and pretend you are writing a letter in reply to somebody who asked you this: "How can Hong Kong secure its position as a competitive global city over the long term?" Consider that question in all its aspects. You might focus on some of the key issues or matters of debate that we have touched upon such as what makes Hong Kong competitive, education, rule of law, culture, political development, the role of business and corporate social responsibility, the role of the media, Hong Kong's role in the international financial system, public health and the spread of infectious diseases such as SARS, and the environment. In particular, you might consider the implications for Hong Kong's global status, given its relationship with the mainland, the limits of autonomy under the Basic Law, and the level of political development of the SAR.

Think big picture but also be prepared to discuss two or three of these issues more deeply - just like you have done on the blog - then I'm sure you will do fine.

The Leaflets Controversy

For those of you who may be interested in following the to-and-fro between Ms Lau and Mr Chan, I have uploaded all the relevant messages, letters and faxes to the WebCT course content area. All the correspondence except my e-mail messages to Mr Chan have been released to the media. (Ms Lau chose to make public my email to her without my permission.)

I leave it to you all to draw your own conclusions from this episode. I will only say this:

My main priority from the beginning has been to maintain the privacy of the participants in this class and prevent the course or the University from being drawn into what is clearly a personal feud. I will not entertain the suggestion that Ms Lau and Mr Chan debate in class and cross-examine the participants in front of reporters. This is in fact a straightforward matter that does not require a media spectacle to resolve. I will not permit a course and its participants to be used for what I consider to be petty personal ends of no academic value.

[Originally posted on 3 December; final paragaph added on 7 December, 7.30 pm]

Stranger Than Fiction

Truth, even for those who don't deal in it or can't handle it, is sometimes stranger than fiction. I have just flown from Delhi to Singapore on a Singapore Airlines flight, having attended a conference in Delhi. I was in the back of the "bus" - there was a certain Mr Chan in the front. Alas, we did not meet. Then again, maybe it was good that we didn't.

Now It's Math and Science Scores

Another news item on the strong performance of Hong Kong students - this time in Math and Science.

Optional Lecture and Review Session on Friday, 7 December

This is a reminder that I am offering an optional wrap-up lecture-cum-review session on Friday, 7 December, from 2 pm to 4 pm in Theatre 5, Meng Wah Complex. All are welcome, including IBGM students. No controversial guest speakers, I promise.

Hong Kong: The 21st Best Place in the World to Live

The top performers in U.N. Development Program's Human Development Index annual ranking are often referred to as the best places in the world in which to live. We should all be heading to Iceland, according to the latest edition. Hong Kong comes in at 21, up one spot from its ranking last year. Check out this summary page that reviews how Hong Kong performed in some key categories, including life expectancy at birth, which is a staggering 81.9 years, only second behind Japan's (82.3 years). As with any list, we should approach the information with a critical eye and not just take everything as gospel truth.

Reading in Hong Kong

Check out this report on an international reading literacy study conducted by Boston College, in which Hong Kong children performed well - second behind their Russian counterparts. In an article in the South China Morning Post, the gains borne out by the survey results are said to be due to the government's education reforms. (Please note that access to the SCMP's website is controlled.)

Here is a link to the website for the Boston College study.