It was a colonial conquest that was supposed to be as “good as forever” but after more than 150 years of rule, at midnight on July 1, 1997, Britain handed over Hong Kong to the People’s Republic of China.
Hong Kong became part of the British Empire after the First Opium War in 1842. After the First Sino-Japanese War, Britain was able to pressure China to expand the area of British Rule to include an additional 200 miles of Hong Kong. Referred to as the Second Peking Convention, it was negotiated by Sir Claude Maxwell MacDonald. It was MacDonald who agreed to the 99-year lease of Hong Kong. In his mind, “99 years” equaled forever since MacDonald could never imagine the British Empire returning territory.
The Chinese and British however took the terms of the contract literally and the area was returned to Chinese rule, with a caveat. Talks to return Hong Kong began in 1982 under then Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and Zhao Ziyang of China. Under British Rule, Hong Kong flourished economically and politically. As a thriving democracy, many citizens were not keen to become part of a Communist nation. The Sino-British Joint Declaration was agreed to in 1985 and China agreed to a “one country, two systems” setup for 50 years. This means Hong Kong is part of China but is able to maintain its own legal system, have more than one political party and have rights such as freedom of speech and freedom of assembly.
At the time, Queen Elizabeth II looked positively on the transfer of Hong Kong. She remarked: “The handover of the former colony and its smooth transition to the status of a Special Administrative Region of China exemplifies the trust and co-operation on which that relationship is based. We believe firmly in the virtues of dialogue. In the years ahead we shall continue to work together for world peace, prosperity and the protection of the environment.”
Prince Charles, former Prime Minister Tony Blair and the late Foreign Secretary Robin Cook witnessed the handover ceremonies. At the precise moment of transfer, the British flag that flown over Government House was lowered and presented to the final governor, Chris Patten and Tung Chee-hwa became the new chief executive.
Today, more than thirty years into the “one country, two systems” policy, problems are growing. China shows its dominance at every opportunity and protests are an everyday occurrence. There are strong pro-democracy and pro-Beijing factions within Hong Kong. Because the Sino-British Joint Declaration is still in effect, the United Kingdom has vowed to support the people of Hong Kong. In 2020, the Foreign Office even went so far as to issue a statement urging China to: “reconsider, to step back from the brink and respect Hong Kong’s autonomy and respect its own international obligations.”
