Towards a Partnership for Global Norm Diffusion: The Strategic Importance of Hong Kong in EU-CHINA Relations

Informed by the emergent theoretical interest in global cities as norm designers and entrepreneurs, this paper argues that the EU may seek to enhance its global profile more effectively through partnership with like-minded inhabitants in Asian global cities such as Hong Kong. The analysis shows that as a non-sovereign global actor, Hong Kong’s strategic geopolitical location, its historical distinctiveness and its unique status under ‘One Country, Two Systems’ constitute invaluable assets not only to the people of Hong Kong but also to both the EU and China. This paper shows how the Hong Kong factor could become more visible in the EU’s strategy towards China and where a partnership for global norm diffusion may be forged between Hong Kong and the EU in the face of an increasingly assertive China.