What’s at stake in Hong Kong for the U.S.?

In a recent episode of the Brookings Cafeteria podcast, Senior Fellow Richard Bush talked about the origins of Hong Kong’s “umbrella movement” in 2014, the territory’s relationship with Beijing, and his thoughts on electoral reform.

When asked about Hong Kong’s importance for the American people, Bush, who directs the Center for East Asia Policy Studies at Brookings, spoke to the significant U.S. presence there, as well as Hong Kong’s potential influence on long-term political reform in China. “Hong Kong provides a good model of how a Chinese society can be run according to the rule of law without leading to great instability,” Bush said.

Listen to the entire podcast here (slide to 24:00 for the portion of the discussion about the stakes):

“Having a genuine democracy in Hong Kong is good for its own sake, it’s good for the people of Hong Kong … but it also could light the way to a China that is more politically open, more politically accountable, and more politically competitive.”

Get more research and commentary about Hong Kong on the Brookings website.