Borrowing the Hong Kong Identity for Chinese Diplomacy
Implications of Margaret Chan's World Health Organization Election Campaign
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 2907509 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Simon Shen (corresponding author) |
| Year | 2008 |
| Volume | 81 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 361-382 |
| Publication date | 2008-09-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Pacific Affairs (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0030-851X • E-ISSN: 1715-3379 |
| Publisher | Pacific Affairs (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.5509/2008813361 |
| OpenAlex | W2316807122 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 2 |
F ■ lhe year 2006 appears to have marked the rise of Asian influence in I the international arena. The positions of secretary-general of the JL United Nations (UN) and director-general (DG) of the World Health Organization (WHO) were both taken up by Asian candidates. While the installation of Ban Ki-moon at the UN was a result of realpolitik compromise, and did not leave much of a role for his native South Korean government to play, the victory of Margaret Chan in the WHO DG election was regarded as a remarkable achievement of Chinese diplomacy and proof of an innovative approach by the former Leninist state. Although Chan is celebrated as the first-ever Chinese person to head a significant international organization, her identity is more complex than appears at first sight. As a director of the Department of Health in colonial Hong Kong, with no prior personal connection to Beijing, Chan was an unexpected choice. What was the benefit to Beijing of using Chan's Hong Kong identity, and what precisely is this identity? How did Chan's fellow citizens view the campaign? Will Hong Kong's one country, two systems approach be enhanced, or hampered, by this development? While Beijing has loudly extolled the meaning of Chan's success to China in general, these questions concerning the interaction between Beijing and Hong Kong remain relatively under-studied. This article aims to answer these questions in three sections. First, we shall review the contemporary diplomatic goals of China, define Chan's Hong Kong identity and set aside a framework to study the interaction of the two. Second, the article will discuss the short-term benefits of Chan's identity in the WHO campaign and also the longer-term impact for Chinese diplomacy. Third, the article will address the different reactions in Hong Kong towards
Aesthetics · Art · Diplomacy · Identity (music) · Media studies · Political science · Politics · Sociology · Global Public Health Policies and Epidemiology · Law
| Unique citing works | 2 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,13 |
| Citation span | 2010 - 2013 (4) |
| Citation velocity | historical |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 1 |