Politics of Mega-Events in China's Hong Kong and Macao

Since the handovers, Hong Kong and Macao, under the One Country Two Systems principle, continue the capitalist practice and order left by their British and Portuguese colonizers. They, meanwhile, also derive various all-out supports from China. Therefore, while the former retains itself as one of the freest economies in the world, the latter has become the wealthiest casino city on the planet. In this context, the two Special Administrative Regions (SARs) are zealous in staging mega-events, which are extensively viewed as a means to benefit the economy of the hosts and/or demonstrate their cultural attractiveness. Paradoxically, the attitudes of the Chinese and SAR authorities toward the events vary from case to case. To understand the reasons behind, a total of 24 cases—including 14 conferences and 10 sporting games overseen by the prominent international organizations and multinational corporations—are investigated. The findings reveal that the central and local governments enthusiastically give backing as long as the gatherings are able to raise their popularity, facilitate the domestic stability of China, Hong Kong, and Macao and their international engagement, boost the three regions’ profile and competitiveness in the global stage, and/or deepen the two cities’ integration into the Mainland. Otherwise, they hold neutral, indifferent, and even opposite stances, although the galas may generate lucrative profit. In short, this book provides an in-depth account of how the mega-events are leveraged for defending the all-round political interests of both China and the SARs.