Dennis Kwok
郭榮鏗
Dennis Kwok in 2016
Member of the Legislative Council
In office
1 October 2012 – 11 November 2020
Preceded byMargaret Ng
Succeeded byAmbrose Lam (2022)
ConstituencyLegal
Personal details
Born (1978-04-15) 15 April 1978
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Nationality
Political partyCivic Party
Professional Commons
Spouse
Leslie Andrea Wong
​
(m. 2007)​
[2]
Children2
Alma materLa Salle Primary School
Rugby School
King's College London (LL.B)
University of Hong Kong (PCLL)
OccupationBarrister
Signature
Dennis Kwok Wing-hang
Traditional Chinese郭榮鏗
Simplified Chinese郭荣铿

Dennis Kwok Wing-hang (Chinese: 郭榮鏗; born 15 April 1978) is a former member of the Hong Kong Legislative Council from 2012 to 2020 and founding member of Civic Party.

Once the Deputy Chairman of the House Committee, Kwok was accused of delaying the legislature proceedings. He was disqualified from the Legislative Council on 11 November 2020, along with three other lawmakers of the pan-democratic camp, by the Chinese Government on request of the Hong Kong government.[3] A mass resignation of pan-democrats the same day left the Legislative Council without a substantial opposition. Later that month, Kwok announced his resignation from politics and left Hong Kong. In April 2021, it was reported that he had moved to Canada[4] and later settled in the United States.[5]

Kwok was charged with collusion and an arrest warrant with a HK$1 million bounty bounty was issued by the Hong Kong Police in July 2023.[6]

Early career

Kwok was educated at King's College London (LLB, 1999) and the University of Hong Kong (PCLL). He was admitted as a solicitor in the High Court of Hong Kong in 2002 and to the Roll of Solicitors of England and Wales in 2003.

He subsequently left his practice as a solicitor to join the Bar in 2006 with a focus in civil and public administrative law. In 2008, he served on the Bar Council.

Political career

In 2006, Kwok was elected as an Election Committee Member for the Legal Functional Constituency, and was re-elected in 2011.

In 2007, he co-founded The Professional Commons, a public policy think-tank, and in 2008, he joined the Citizens Commission for Constitutional Development headed by the former Chief Secretary, Mrs. Anson Chan.

He took part in the 2011 District Council Election (South Horizons East constituency) but he was defeated.

In 2012, he succeeded Margaret Ng and won the seat of Legal functional constituency in Legislative Council.[7] He later served as Deputy Chairman of the House Committee and the Panel on Administration of Justice and Legal Services.[8][9]

Political strategy

On assuming office as the legal-sector lawmaker, Kwok expressed support for the use of filibustering tactics by the pro-democracy camp, arguing that "the existing rules of procedure already make it sufficiently difficult for members to continue to filibuster without limitation". He said he would challenge any effort by the pro-government camp to inhibit the practice.[10]

From October 2019 to May 2020, while Kwok was Deputy Chairman of Legco's House Committee, no election for the vacant post of its Chairman took place, for which Kwok was accused by the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office and other pro-government voices of misconduct by paralysing Legco through filibustering tactics.[11] In April 2020, pro-establishment lawmakers argued that Dennis Kwok was "no longer fit" to preside over sessions as his continued filibustering tactics had left multiple pieces of legislation in limbo.[12]

On 15 May 2020, Legco president Andrew Leung removed Kwok from the post of committee Deputy Chairman and imposed Finance Committee chair Chan Kin-por in his place.[13]

The move was vociferously opposed by democratic members, and led to shouting and scuffles in the chamber, during which eleven opposition lawmakers were ejected. The following week, Starry Lee was re-elected Chair, and the committee proceeded with addressing a backlog of bills for review.[14][15]

Disqualification and dismissal

Five weeks ahead of the (subsequently postponed) 2020 Hong Kong Legislative Council Election, on 30 July 2020, as Kwok prepared to defend his seat, the government stated that he was among a dozen pro-democracy candidates whose nominations were 'invalid', under an opaque process in which, nominally, civil servants – returning officers – assess whether, for instance, a candidate had objected to the enactment of the national security law, or was sincere in statements made disavowing separatism.[16] On 11 November 2020, following a decision by the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, Kwok was disqualified from Legislative Council along with Alvin Yeung, Kwok Ka-ki and Kenneth Leung.[17] Hours later, 15 of their pro-democracy colleagues resigned from office in protest.[18]

Dennis Kwok leading a 2019 protest in Hong Kong along with other members of the Civic Party.

Kwok announced on 21 November that he was resigning from politics after being disqualified. As reasons for his step, he cited his perception of being unable to advance his career in politics, as well as family reasons.[19] He was reported in April 2021 to have moved to Canada. That same month, he announced that he had quit the Civic Party.[20]

Following his departure from Hong Kong, in August 2021 Kwok was named as a Distinguished Scholar in the Asian Studies Program of Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service.[21] He also became a Senior Research Fellow at Harvard University's Kennedy School.[22]

Kwok joined with three other lawyers in May 2022 to form a legal practice in the United States. The firm, Elliott Kwok Levine & Jaroslaw LLP, focuses on commercial litigation and international arbitration, white-collar criminal defense, regulatory counseling, China-related corporate advisory work, international human rights, and antitrust.[23]

Awards

  • Award for Distinction in International Law and Affairs from the New York State Bar Association’s International Section.[24]
  • Rule of Law Award from the U.K.’s Commonwealth Law Association.[25]

Publications

  • Kwok, Dennis; Patterson, Johnny (5 April 2022). "Look to Hong Kong, Not Ukraine, For Signals About China's Taiwan Plans". The Diplomat.
  • Kwok, Dennis; Goodman, Sam (23 March 2022). "Nickel Short Saga Raises Questions About China's Interference in International Markets". The Diplomat.
  • Kwok, Dennis; Patterson, Johnny (21 March 2022). "Hong Kong Is The Canary In The Coalmine: Why We Must Take Xi Jinping's Words Seriously When It Comes To Taiwan". Taiwan Insight. University of Nottingham.
  • Kwok, Dennis; Mok, Charles (8 December 2021). "Hong Kong Listing Means More Trouble for Didi". The Wall Street Journal.
  • Mok, Charles; Kwok, Dennis (2 November 2021). "China's Neo-Nationalism Poses Risks for International Businesses". The Diplomat.
  • Kwok, Dennis; Patterson, Johnny (22 September 2021). "Xi Jinping Makes China a Dangerous Place for Investment". The Wall Street Journal.

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Dennis Kwok.

References

  1. ↑ "立會開鑼-李慧琼當選內委會主席-郭榮鏗出任副主席". HK01 (in Chinese (Hong Kong)). 12 October 2016. Retrieved 12 October 2016.
  2. ↑ "郭榮鏗偕妻兒前後腳離港 迂迴轉往加拿大". on.cc東網 (in Chinese (Hong Kong)). 6 April 2021. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
  3. ↑ "Hong Kong's pro-democracy legislators to resign en masse". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 11 March 2021.
  4. ↑ "Ousted Hong Kong democrat Dennis Kwok surfaces in Canada". Hong Kong Free Press. 10 April 2021. Retrieved 29 May 2021.
  5. ↑ "Ousted Hong Kong Pol Teams Up With Departing Phillips Nizer Partners to Form New Boutique". New York Law Journal. Retrieved 14 May 2022.
  6. ↑ Ho, Kelly (3 July 2023). "Hong Kong national security police issue HK$1 million bounty each for 8 self-exiled activists". Hong Kong Free Press HKFP. Retrieved 8 July 2023.
  7. ↑ "Dennis Kwok, Chairman of Constitution & Governance Policy Branch". Civic Party (in Traditional Chinese). Archived from the original on 28 August 2016. Retrieved 8 July 2023.
  8. ↑ "House Committee Membership list (Year 2018 - 2019)". Legislative Council of Hong Kong.
  9. ↑ "Panel on Administration of Justice and Legal Services (Membership)". Legislative Council of Hong Kong.
  10. ↑ "Lawmaker Dennis Kwok to oppose proposed curbs on filibusters". South China Morning Post. 2012. Retrieved 14 May 2020.
  11. ↑ "More arguments as Legco's gridlocked House Committee meets". South China Morning Post. 24 April 2020. Retrieved 14 May 2020.
  12. ↑ "Hong Kong lawmakers debate but fail to break committee deadlock". South China Morning Post. 17 April 2020. Retrieved 14 May 2020.
  13. ↑ Ho, Kelly; Creery, Jennifer (15 May 2020). "Hong Kong legislature pres. replaces democrat with pro-Beijing lawmaker as committee head after filibustering row". Hong Kong Free Press HKFP. Retrieved 8 July 2023.
  14. ↑ "Wall-climbing, shouts, scuffles: Hong Kong Legco committee talks turn ugly". South China Morning Post. 8 May 2020. Retrieved 14 May 2020.
  15. ↑ "Hong Kong lawmakers debate but fail to break committee deadlock". South China Morning Post. 17 April 2020. Retrieved 14 May 2020.
  16. ↑ Ho, Kelly; Grundy, Tom; Creery, Jennifer (30 July 2020). "Hong Kong bans Joshua Wong and 11 other pro-democracy figures from legislative election". Hong Kong Free Press. Retrieved 3 December 2020.
  17. ↑ "15 Hong Kong Pro-Democracy Lawmakers Quit After Colleagues Expelled". VOA. 11 November 2020. Retrieved 14 May 2022.
  18. ↑ "Hong Kong pro-democracy lawmakers resign after China ruling". BBC News. 11 November 2020. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
  19. ↑ Wong, Natalie (21 November 2020). "Prominent Hong Kong lawmaker Dennis Kwok, ousted after Beijing ruling, says he is leaving politics". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 24 November 2020.
  20. ↑ Shum, Michael (14 April 2021). "Five councillors fly out of Hong Kong". The Standard. Retrieved 14 April 2021.
  21. ↑ "Dennis W.H. Kwok Joins Asian Studies Program as Distinguished Scholar". Asian Studies. 18 August 2021. Retrieved 14 May 2022.
  22. ↑ "Dennis W.H. Kwok". ash.harvard.edu. Retrieved 14 May 2022.
  23. ↑ Dong, Xiumei. "Ex-Hong Kong Lawmaker, Phillips Nizer Attys Form Boutique - Law360". www.law360.com. Retrieved 14 May 2022.
  24. ↑ "Former Hong Kong Legislator to Receive Award For Distinction in International Law". New York State Bar Association. 12 January 2022. Retrieved 14 May 2022.
  25. ↑ "5th Commonwealth Law Conference Rule of Law Award 2021 Winner Announced - News - CLA". Commonwealth Lawyers Association. 10 August 2021. Retrieved 14 May 2022.
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