Almost two decades have passed since the Hong Kong handover ceremony and much has changed for the now self-governing special administrative region of the People’s Republic of China. On 17 October the Lowy Institute hosted a conversation with Anson Chan, former Chief Secretary of the Hong Kong government both before and after the handover, and Martin CM Lee (Lee Chu Ming), founding Chairman of the Hong Kong Democratic Party.

Chan and Lee will discuss Hong Kong’s relationship with the mainland, the outcome and implications of the recently concluded elections for the Legislative Council, and why Hong Kong should matter to the rest of the world.

Anson Chan retired as the Chief Secretary for Administration of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government in 2001. As Chief Secretary, she headed the 190 000-strong civil service. She was the first woman and the first Chinese to hold the second-highest governmental position in Hong Kong. During her career in the public service she was responsible for development of Hong Kong’s economic infrastructure including the planning and construction of Hong Kong’s new international airport, port expansion, and deregulation of the telecommunications market.

Martin CM Lee (Lee Chu Ming) is a Senior Counsel (formerly, Queen’s Counsel). He is the founding Chairman (1994–2002) of the Democratic Party, which is one of the largest and most popular political parties in Hong Kong, and was an elected member of the Legislative Council from 1985 to 2008. The European People’s Party and European Democrats in the European Parliament named Mr Lee the first non-European recipient of the Schuman Medal in January 2000. In 1997, the National Endowment for Democracy presented its Democracy Award to Mr Lee at a Capitol Hill ceremony in Washington DC.