Anna F.Y. Kwok (郭鳳儀) is a Washington, D.C.-based China policy strategist and Hong Konger movement builder. Working at the nexus of human rights, foreign policy, and national security, she advises policymakers across the U.S., UK, EU, and UN.
She has led research and campaigns on Hong Kong’s political autonomy as well as PRC’s transnational repression and foreign influence, directly informing federal legislation and executive actions. As Board Chair and former Executive Director (2022–2026) of the Hong Kong Democracy Council (HKDC), Kwok led the institution’s transatlantic and programmatic expansion, connecting pro-democracy advocates and community organizers directly with policymakers and think tanks for strategic convening. As a primary target of the authoritarian regime, Kwok was among the first overseas Hong Kongers placed under a HK$1 million bounty. The regime later escalated with the imprisonment of her father based on fabricated charges—a move condemned by the U.S. government that sets a dangerous precedent for future repression. Undeterred, she regularly testifies before Congress and shares political analysis across global media.
Fellowship Project: This research project investigates the evolving digital surveillance model of the People’s Republic of China (PRC), using Hong Kong as a case study to examine how an authoritarian regime exerts surveillance without the traditional Great Firewall or an established integration of a state-controlled social media ecosystem. The project evaluates the interconnectedness of three pillars that sustain the local and transnational architecture: (1) technical infrastructure and the Internet of Things (IoT), (2) political and policy frameworks, and (3) industrial and economic planning. The project aims to provide policymakers and civil society with a structural framework to formulate strategies that counter the expansion of PRC surveillance in partially open and open information ecosystems.