Beijing’s ‘Good Friend’ Stephen Roach Banned From Talking About Hong Kong

Stephen Roach, former Morgan Stanley Asia chair and once considered Beijing’s “good friend,” said he was prohibited from expressing differing opinions on Hong Kong during his attendance at the China Development Forum in Beijing last week. In late March, Mr. Roach was invited to attend the China Development Forum held at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing as the senior fellow at Yale University’s Jackson Institute for Global Affairs. He wished to express concerns about the future of Hong Kong during his speech but was ultimately discouraged from doing so, Mr. Roach told Radio Free Asia on April 2, noting that this year’s forum had more constraints than in the past, and that the organizers had made it clear to him they did not want to hear sharp questions publicly but only “views constructive to China.”...