The Rise of Taiwanese and Hong Kong Identities and Their Implications for Beijing and Washington

Speaker: Prof. Syaru Shirley Lin (Chinese University of Hong Kong & University of Virginia)

Time: JULY 4, 14:00-16:00 (The event will start at 14:00, not 14:15)

Venue: Metsätalo, Sali A215, University of Helsinki, Finland Three trends are shaping today’s Taiwan and Hong Kong: they are enmeshed in a high-income trap with slower growth, increasing inequality, and rising dissatisfaction among youth; the rise of China’s economic and military power, along with continued pressure for deeper economic and political integration; and the emergence of a distinctive local identity, resulting in a declining interest in political and social integration with China. Shirley Lin who teaches in the U.S., Taiwan, Hong Kong and China will analyze all of these trends, and then address the dilemmas they pose for Beijing and Washington.

Programme

14:00-14:05 Opening by Julie Yu-Wen Chen (University of Helsinki)

14:05-14:50 Speech by Prof. Syaru Shirley Lin

14:50-15:10 Comments Jane Cheng (Taipei Representative in Finland)

15:10 Q & A

About the speaker

Syaru Shirley Lin is Adjunct Associate Professor at the Chinese University of Hong Kong and teaches political economy at the University of Virginia. She has also taught at Tsinghua University (Beijing) and National Chengchi University (Taipei). Her book, Taiwan’s China Dilemma, on the impact of the evolution of Taiwanese national identity on cross-Strait economic policy was published by Stanford University Press in 2016. She is currently working on the high income trap in East Asia. Her commentary frequently appears in English and Chinese media, including a recent article on Hong Kong and Taiwan. Prof. Lin graduated from Harvard College and earned a Ph.D. from the University of Hong Kong. Prof. Lin was a partner at Goldman Sachs, where she led the firm’s efforts in private equity and venture capital in Asia. She spearheaded the firm’s investments in many technology start-ups and was a founding board member of Alibaba Group and Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation. Previously, she specialized in the privatization of state-owned enterprises in Asia. Prof. Lin currently serves on the boards of Goldman Sachs Asia Bank, Langham Hospitality Investments and Mercuries Life Insurance. She is also on the boards of the Focused Ultrasound Foundation and was appointed by the Hong Kong government to the Committee for Pacific Economic Cooperation.