Everything about Transfer Of The Sovereignty Of Hong Kong totally explained
The
transfer of the sovereignty of Hong Kong from the
United Kingdom to
China, often referred to as
"The Handover", occurred on
July 1,
1997. The event marked the end of British rule, and the transfer of sovereignty of Hong Kong to Chinese rule.
Overview
Hong Kong's territory was acquired from three separate treaties: the
Treaty of Nanking in
1842, the
Treaty of Beijing in
1860, and
The Convention for the Extension of Hong Kong Territory in
1898, which gave the United Kingdom the control of
Hong Kong Island,
Kowloon (area south of
Boundary Street), and the
New Territories (area north of Boundary Street and south of the
Shenzhen River, and outlying islands), respectively. Although
Hong Kong Island and
Kowloon had been ceded to the United Kingdom in perpetuity, the control on the New Territories was a 99-year lease. The finite nature of the 99-lease didn't hinder Hong Kong's development as the New Territories was combined as a part of Hong Kong. By
1997, it was impractical to separate the three territories and only return the New Territories. In addition, with the scarcity of land and natural resources in Hong Kong Island and Kowloon, the New Territories were being developed with large-scale
infrastructures and other developments, with the break-even day lying well past
30 June 1997. Thus, the status of the New Territories after the expiry of the 99-year lease became important for Hong Kong's economic development.
In March 1979, the
Governor of Hong Kong Murray MacLehose paid his first official visit to the
People's Republic of China (PRC), taking the initiative to raise the question of Hong Kong's sovereignty with
Deng Xiaoping. Without clarifying and establishing the official position of the PRC government, the arranging of real estate leases and loans agreements in Hong Kong within the next 18 years would be rather difficult. In fact, as early as the mid 1970s, Hong Kong had faced additional risks raising loans for large scale infrastructure projects such as its
MTR system and a new airport. Caught unprepared, Deng asserted the necessity of Hong Kong's return to
China, upon which Hong Kong would be given special status by the PRC government.
Many argue that had it not been for MacLehose's rashness, the PRC government might not have pressed to put the Hong Kong question on its agenda. Debate aside, MacLehose's visit to the PRC did raise the curtain on the issue of Hong Kong's sovereignty: Britain was made very much aware of the PRC's intention - their aspiration to resume sovereignty over Hong Kong as the
Qing Dynasty's successor - and began to make arrangements accordingly to ensure the sustenance of its interests within the territory, as well as initiating the creation of a withdrawal plan in case of emergency.
Three years later, Deng received the former British
Prime Minister Edward Heath. Heath had been dispatched as the special envoy of Prime Minister
Margaret Thatcher to establish an understanding of the PRC's view with regards to the question of Hong Kong. Throughout their meeting, Deng stated clearly for the first time the PRC's willingness to settle the sovereignty issue with Britain through formal
negotiations.
In the same year,
Edward Youde, who succeeded MacLehose as the 26th Governor of Hong Kong, led a
delegation of five
Executive Councillors to
London, including
Chung Sze Yuen,
Lydia Dunn, and
Roger Lobo. Chung presented their position on the sovereignty of Hong Kong to Thatcher, encouraging her to take into consideration the interests of the native Hong Kong population in her upcoming visit to China.
In
1982, the two governments began to talk about the
sovereignty of Hong Kong. In light of the increasing openness of the PRC government and economic reforms on the mainland, then-British Prime Minister
Margaret Thatcher sought the PRC's agreement to a continued British presence in the territory. However, the PRC took a contrary position: not only did the PRC wish for the New Territories, on lease until 1997, to be placed under the PRC's jurisdiction, it also refused to recognise the "
unfair and unequal treaties" under which
Hong Kong Island and
Kowloon had been ceded to Britain in perpetuity.
Margaret Thatcher, in discussion with
Deng Xiaoping, reiterated the validity of an extension of the lease of Hong Kong territory, particularly in light of binding treaties, including the
Treaty of Nanking in 1842, the
Convention of Peking in 1856, and the
clause signed in 1890. In response, Deng Xiaoping cited clearly the lack of room for compromise on the question of sovereignty over Hong Kong; the PRC, as the successor of
Qing Dynasty and the
Republic of China, would recover the entirety of the New Territories, Kowloon and Hong Kong Island.
After her visit with Deng in Beijing, Thatcher was received in Hong Kong as the first British Prime Minister to set foot on the territory whilst in office. At a press conference, Thatcher re-emphasised the validity of the three treaties, asserting the need for countries to respect treaties on universal terms: "treaties ought always to be respected; without such respect, without such necessary trust, it was impossible for any negotiations to take place".
At the same time, at the 5th session of the 5th
National People's Congress, the constitution was amended to include a new clause which stated that the country might establish a
special administrative region (SAR) when necessary. The additional clause would hold tremendous significance in settling the question of Hong Kong and later
Macau, putting into social consciousness the concept of "
One country, two systems".
Negotiations began
A few months after Thatcher's visit to Beijing, the PRC government had still yet to open negotiations with the British government regarding the sovereignty of Hong Kong. Unsure of what to do, Thatcher consulted former U.S.
Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, though consultation proved fruitless in the end.
Shortly before the initiation of sovereignty talks, Governor Youde declared his intention to represent the population of Hong Kong at the negotiations. This statement sparked a strong response from the PRC, which slammed Britain for "making a three-legged stool" and "playing public-opinion cards" as bargaining chips.
Many citizens were pessimistic towards the future of Hong Kong and the transfer of the region's sovereignty. A tide of emigration, which was to last for no less than five years, broke out. At its peak,
citizenships of such small countries as
Cape Verde,
Tonga,
Gambia and
Ecuador were also in great demand. Many
consuls were deported for their
corrupt behaviour in granting immigration visas.
Canada (
Toronto &
Vancouver),
Australia (
Sydney), and the
United States (
San Francisco &
New York) were, by and large, the most popular destinations. The
United Kingdom devised the
British Nationality Selection Scheme, granting 50,000 families British citizenship under the
British Nationality Act (Hong Kong) 1990.
Vancouver was among the most popular destinations, so much so that
Richmond (a suburb of Vancouver) earned the nickname of "Little Hong Kong" and "New
Chinatown", and for the city itself, "HongCouver". Other popular settlements are found in
Auckland and
Singapore. All in all, from the start of the settlement of the negotiation in 1984 to 1997, nearly 1 million people have emigrated, consequently Hong Kong suffered serious
loss of capital and talents.
The last governor
Chris Patten became the last governor of Hong Kong. This was regarded as a turning point in Hong Kong's history. Unlike his predecessors, Patten wasn't a
diplomat, but a career politician and former
Member of Parliament. He introduced democratic reforms which pushed PRC-British relations to a standstill and affected the negotiations for a smooth handover.
Patten introduced a package of electoral reforms in the
Legislative Council. These reforms proposed to enlarge the electorate, thus making voting in the Legislative Council more democratic. This move posed significant changes because Hong Kong citizens would have the power to make decisions regarding their future.
The handover ceremony
The handover ceremony was held at the new wing of the
Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre in
Wan Chai on the night of
30 June 1997. The principal British guest was
The Prince of Wales who read a farewell speech on behalf of the
Queen. The newly elected
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom,
Tony Blair, and the departing Hong Kong governor
Chris Patten also attended. Representing China were the
President of the People's Republic of China,
Jiang Zemin; and
Tung Chee-hwa, the first Chief Executive of the
Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the
People's Republic of China.
Additional effects
The Rose Garden Project
After the
Tiananmen Square Protest, the Hong Kong government proposed a grand "Rose Garden Project" to restore faith and solidarity among the residents. As the construction of the
new airport would extend well after the handover. Governor Wilson met PRC Premier
Li Peng in Beijing to ease the mind of the PRC government. The communist press published stories that the project was an evil plan to bleed Hong Kong dry before the handover, leaving the territory in serious debt. After three years of negotiations, Britain and the PRC finally reached an agreement over the construction of the new airport, and signed a Memorandum of Understanding. Removing hills and reclaiming land, it took only a few years to construct the new airport.
Views of the Kowloon Walled City
Kowloon Peninsula of Hong Kong. After the ceding of
Hong Kong Island to Britain in 1842 (
Treaty of Nanjing),
Qing (Chinese) authorities felt it necessary for them to establish a military-cum-administrative post to rule the area and to check further British influence in the area.
The 1898 Convention which handed additional parts of Hong Kong (the
New Territories) to Britain for 99 years excluded the Walled City, with a population of roughly 700. It stated that China could continue to keep troops there, so long as they didn't interfere with Britain's temporary rule. Britain quickly went back on this unofficial part of the agreement, attacking Kowloon Walled City in 1899, only to find it deserted. They did nothing with it, or with the outpost, and thus put the question of Kowloon Walled City's ownership squarely up in the air. The outpost consisted of a
yamen, as well as buildings which grew into low-lying, densely packed neighbourhoods from 1890s to 1940s. The
enclave remained part of Chinese territory despite the turbulent events of the early 20th century that saw the fall of the Qing government, the establishment of a
Chinese republic and later, the
People's Republic of China (PRC).
Squatters began to occupy the Walled City, resisting several attempts by Britain in 1948 to drive them out. The Walled City became a haven for crooks and drug addicts, as the
Hong Kong Police had no right to enter the City and
mainland China refused maintainability. The 1949 foundation of the
People's Republic of China added thousands of refugees to the population, many from
Guangdong; by this time, Britain had had enough, and simply adopted a 'hands-off' policy. A murder that occurred in Kowloon Walled City in 1959 set off a small diplomatic crisis, as the two nations each tried to get the other to accept responsibility for a vast tract of land now virtually ruled by anti-
Manchurian Triads. If the
Black Market ever had a physical location, this would have been it. After the
Joint Declaration in 1984, the PRC allowed British authorities to demolish the City and resettle its inhabitants. The mutual decision to tear down the walled city was made in 1987. The government spent up to
HK$ 3 billion to resettle the residents and shops. Some residents were not satisfied with the compensation, and some even obstructed the demolition in every possible way. Ultimately, everything was settled, and the Walled City became a park.
Views of Rennie's Mill
Rennie's Mill got its name from a
Canadian businessman named
Alfred Herbert Rennie, who established a flour mill at Junk Bay. The business failed, and Rennie hanged himself there in 1908. The incident gave the
Chinese name for the site Tiu Keng Leng (吊頸嶺), meaning "Hanging (neck) Ridge". The name was later changed to similar sounding Tiu King Leng (調景嶺) because it was inauspicious.
In the 1950s the (British)
Hong Kong government settled a considerable number of
refugees from
China - former Nationalist soldiers and other
Kuomintang supporters - at Rennie's Mill, following the
Chinese civil war. For many years the area was a
Kuomintang enclave known as "Little
Taiwan", with the
flag of the Republic of China flying, its own
school system and practically off-limits to the
Royal Hong Kong Police Force.
In 1996 the Hong Kong government finally forcibly evicted Rennie's Mill's residents, ostensibly to make room for
new town developments, as part of the
Tseung Kwan O New Town, but widely understood to be a move to please the
Communist Chinese government before Hong Kong reverted to
Communist Chinese rule in 1997.
Before the eviction, Rennie's Mill could be reached by the winding, hilly and narrow
Po Lam Road South. At that time, Rennie's Mill's only means of public transport were the routes 90 and 290 of
KMB, which were operated by
minibuses, and by water transport.
Transfer of the sovereignty of Hong Kong in popular culture
- Hong Kong Cantopop artist Sam Hui has made numerous references to 1997 including the song 話知你 97 (Could Not Care Less About 1997).
- Chinese American rapper Jin Auyeung has a song called 1997 in his Cantonese album ABC, which he makes references to the handover, bus uncle, 10 years of Hong Kongs return to China.
- Zero Minus Ten a James Bond novel by Raymond Benson, is set largely in Hong Kong during the days leading up to the Handover.
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