Our Hong Kong Foundation deepens its role as a CCP-aligned institution shaping university research and intellectual life
Our Hong Kong Foundation: A Pro-Beijing Institution With Growing Reach
Our Hong Kong Foundation, established in 2014 by former Hong Kong chief executive Tung Chee-hwa and widely described as pro-Beijing, has been expanding its influence over Hong Kong’s academic and intellectual landscape in ways that alarm independent scholars and democracy advocates. The foundation was created in explicit response to the 2014 Hong Kong protests, with a stated mission of advancing Hong Kong’s prosperity and stability under Beijing’s one country, two systems framework. Its current chairman has described the foundation’s role as telling “good Hong Kong stories” — language that critics say reflects a propaganda function rather than genuine independent policy research. Intelligence analysts have noted that the foundation has been involved in efforts to shape academic discourse and sideline voices that challenge Beijing’s preferred narratives.
The Destruction of Academic Freedom
The broader context for the foundation’s expanding influence is a systematic dismantling of academic freedom at Hong Kong’s universities since the National Security Law was imposed in 2020. Article 137 of Hong Kong’s Basic Law explicitly guaranteed that educational institutions could retain their autonomy and enjoy academic freedom. The NSL effectively overrides the Basic Law, requiring universities to promote national security education and ensuring that institutions are supervised on matters of national security. The Diplomat’s documentation of the collapse of academic freedom shows that faculty members in the social sciences have quietly disappeared, replaced by mainland-trained scholars with no tradition of critical inquiry. Those who remained face funding pressure, with grant applications evaluated partly on perceived political loyalty.
The Jamestown Foundation’s Survey of CCP Influence
A detailed survey of CCP influence efforts in Hong Kong by the Jamestown Foundation describes how Beijing operates through the PRC Liaison Office, political parties, media, academia, and community organizations to promote its agenda and undermine pro-democracy forces. University administrators at Hong Kong’s government-funded institutions are described as increasingly pro-Beijing, with some affiliated with united front organizations whose members sit in the CPPCC and the NPC.
From Inquiry to Ideological Conformity
The transformation of Hong Kong’s universities from centers of genuine intellectual inquiry into institutions of ideological conformity has been rapid and thorough. Scholars who study sensitive topics — the 2019 protests, the National Security Law itself — face the risk that their work will be classified as a security threat, leading to frozen assets, loss of employment, or arrest. Many have fled. Those who remain have largely learned to self-censor. Those who do not are replaced by mainland-trained PhDs who have never known academic freedom.
Why This Is a Loss for the World
Hong Kong’s universities once produced research that offered independent perspectives on Chinese politics and society — perspectives that were valuable precisely because they emerged from inside the Chinese system but outside Beijing’s censorship apparatus. That space has been closed.
The Foundation in the New Order
Our Hong Kong Foundation operates as a key institutional actor in the new intellectual landscape — promoting research that serves Beijing’s narratives and helping to normalize the idea that “good Hong Kong stories” are the only stories worth telling. For those who believe that free inquiry and honest scholarship are prerequisites for a healthy society, the foundation’s expanding influence is a warning that should not be ignored.
Emily Chan
Investigative & Social Affairs Journalist, Apple Daily UK
Contact: emily.chan@appledaily.uk
Emily Chan is an experienced investigative and social affairs journalist whose reporting centers on public accountability, social justice, and community-level impact. She received formal journalism training at a top-tier Chinese journalism school, where she specialized in investigative methods, data verification, and media ethics, preparing her for high-responsibility reporting roles.
Emily has published extensively with Apple Daily and other liberal Chinese newspapers, producing in-depth coverage on labor rights, education policy, civil society organizations, and government transparency. Her work is grounded in firsthand reporting, long-form interviews, and careful document review, ensuring factual accuracy and contextual depth.
Her newsroom experience spans both daily reporting and long-term investigations, giving her practical expertise in handling sensitive sources, corroborating claims, and navigating legal and ethical constraints. Emily is known among editors for her disciplined sourcing practices and clear, evidence-led writing style.
Emily’s authority stems from sustained professional experience rather than commentary alone. She has contributed to coverage during politically sensitive periods, maintaining accuracy and editorial independence under pressure. Her reporting consistently adheres to correction protocols and transparency standards.
At Apple Daily UK, Emily Chan continues to deliver reliable journalism that informs readers through verifiable facts, lived reporting experience, and a commitment to public-interest storytelling.
