What can we do as individuals to overcome differences, to bridge gaps between positions that seem to be polar opposite? How many of our opinions are backed by evidence, how many are driven by our bias? How do you move a community along?
Christine Loh is a seasoned politician as well as an environmental and human rights activist. In this episode of RTalk, she shares experiences and insights from her personal and public life. Christine realized early on in her career that we can only develop answers to the big issues together.
“It’s not about being right or wrong. When I talk to people, there are things of interest that I discover about them. That is very critical to bridge building.”
This conversation beautifully shows how an individual’s purpose in life can transcend her given circumstances and bring forth innovative solutions. The transfer of sovereignty of Hong Kong to China was such a circumstance for Christine. At this juncture, she decided to abandon her promising political career and, against all odds, to found a non-profit, public policy think-tank. Christine’s think-tank became the springboard for innovative, evidence-based ideas taking an active role in the resolution of current conflicts.
Be it on the national level, e.g. between China and Europe, or within a small local community, conflicts can only be resolved if we sit down and talk. Listening to one another allows us to see the commonality, to empathize, and to build a future together. Seeing other people as the enemy – particularly if driven and blinded by anger – is dangerous and the resulting destruction comes at a heavy price.
“It’s OK to have differences, we can make a personal attempt to understand others and need not break relations over it.”
Such would be hollow sound-bites if they did not come from a woman who has put her life on the line, literally, and continues to make significant contributions to the furtherance of peace and harmonious co-existence.
Christine gives us an inspirational insight into her life’s work and is a source of confidence for the future.
Biography
Christine Loh is chief development strategist at the Institute for the Environment, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, and visiting professor at UCLA’s Anderson School of Management. She was undersecretary for the environment in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government, a legislator, as well as founder and head of the Hong Kong non-profit think tank Civic Exchange.
She writes extensively in academic and popular publications. Christine serves as a member on various boards and advisory bodies around the world. She is a sought-after speaker and moderator on a variety of subjects for which she has expertise, such as climate change and the environment, US-China relations and geopolitical risks.
Christine Lohn on LinkedIn, Wikipedia
Publication
Hardcover book: Underground Front: The Chinese Communist Party in Hong Kong – Hong Kong University Press; 2. Edition (2019)
References / Sources
02:20: Civic Exchange is an independent Hong Kong public-policy think tank civic-exchange.org
08:29: video snippets from AP Archive ‘Hong Kong … voter campaign’, 1998 youtu.be/5bG-JPGOaC8?t=509
14:13: video snippets from University of Exeter ‘Dr Christine Loh Kung-wai – Honorary Graduate Interview’, 2016 youtu.be/mItMJvZSi
27:33: excerpt from ‘Amanda Gorman’s inaugural poem’ from CNNpolitics, 2021 edition.cnn.com / CNBC (German subtitles) youtu.be/RyxZy3agzf0
29:46: the Dalai Lama In Conversation with Greta Thunberg and Leading Scientists youtu.be/u9GXgOMMeTg
32:45: video snippet from VOX ‘Hong Kong’s protests, explained’, 2019 youtu.be/6_RdnVtfZPY
