New Books Network Christine Loh, "Underground Front: The Chinese Communist Party in Hong Kong" (Hong Kong UP, 2018)
Mar 1, 2026
Christine Loh, former Hong Kong legislator and founder of Civic Exchange, draws on decades of local experience. She traces early communist activity in 1920s Hong Kong and the city’s role as a hub for CCP operations. She examines United Front tactics around the 1997 handover, post-1997 mainland outreach, and generational divides over integration and the Greater Bay Area.
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Hong Kong As CCP's Early Covert Hub
- Hong Kong was a strategic safe hub for the early Chinese Communist Party to raise funds, meet allies, and run covert operations.
- The party used front businesses like tea companies and Hong Kong's active port and overseas Chinese networks to finance and organise during the 1920s–1940s.
1967 Riots Shattered CCP Credibility
- The 1967 riots, linked to the Cultural Revolution, caused violence and bombings that destroyed much of the CCP's local credibility in Hong Kong.
- After 1967 Hong Kongers turned away from the Communist Party and the colonial government increased social services to address local grievances.
Deng's Pragmatism Created One Country Two Systems
- Deng Xiaoping reframed Hong Kong as an asset for China's economic opening, preferring a peaceful return and the 'one country, two systems' framework.
- Beijing sought to preserve Hong Kong's economic model while planning political arrangements to avoid disrupting growth ahead of 1997.
