As the atmosphere of the talks warmed up, members of Hong Kong`s Legislative Council felt impatient with the long-standing secrecy on the progress of Sino-British talks on the Hong Kong issue. A motion put forward by lawmaker Roger Lobo said: “This Council considers it essential that all proposals for the future of Hong Kong be discussed in this Council before an agreement is reached,” was adopted unanimously. [26] Given the increasing openness of the PRC government and economic reforms on the continent, then British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher sought PRC approval for a continued British presence in the region. [12] The UK, which also ended its extradition deal with the region, said it would allow three million Hong Kongers to settle in the country and apply for citizenship. Canada announced measures to facilitate the education and work of Hong Kong youth in the country and created pathways to permanent residence. The European Union, which said it was “gravely concerned” about the national security law, has limited exports of equipment that China could use to crack down and vowed to relax visa and asylum policies for Hong Kong residents. Britain quickly withdrew this unofficial part of the agreement, attacking the walled city of Kowloon in 1899, only to find that it had been abandoned. They did nothing with it or with the outpost, raising the issue of ownership of the walled city of Kowloon directly in the air. The outpost consisted of a yam and buildings that developed into low- and densely populated neighborhoods from the 1890s to the 1940s. View the full text of the Investment Agreement and two related sub-agreements: One of the most significant achievements has been to ensure the continuity of the independent judiciary in Hong Kong, including agreements in the legal areas of merchant shipping, civil aviation, nuclear materials, whaling, underwater telegraph, space and many more. He also agreed on a network of bilateral agreements between Hong Kong and other countries. Under these agreements, arrangements have been made for the further application of some 200 international conventions to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region after 30 June 1997. Hong Kong is expected to continue to participate in various international organizations even after the handover.
Although the agreement is registered with the UN, it did not contain any UN monitoring mechanism. Therefore, only the signatories of the declaration have the right to assert possible violations of the conditions. On December 19, 1984, after years of negotiations, the British and Chinese leaders signed a formal pact that approved the transshipment of the colony in 1997 in exchange for the formulation of a “one country, two systems” policy by the Chinese communist government. Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher called the agreement “a milestone in the life of the territory, in the course of Anglo-Chinese relations and in the history of international diplomacy.” Hu Yaobang, the general secretary of the Communist Party of China, called the signing “a day of red letters, an occasion of great joy” for China`s billion people. During the 2014 Umbrella Revolution, a campaign against mainland China`s perceived violations in the HKSAR, Chinese officials concluded for the first time that China considered the Joint Declaration “void,” according to a British lawmaker. [51] This finding was dismissed as “clearly false” by a senior Hong Kong jurist and rejected by the British Foreign Secretary, who said the document was a legally binding agreement that had to be respected. [26] [52] Rita Fan, then Hong Kong`s sole representative on the Standing Committee of the National People`s Congress in Beijing, claimed that Britain`s oversight responsibility had expired and that the Joint Declaration did not provide for universal suffrage. [53] The new British colony flourished as an east-west shopping mall and as a commercial gateway and distribution center for southern China. In 1898, Britain secured another 99 years of rule over Hong Kong under the Second Beijing Convention. In September 1984, after years of negotiations, the British and Chinese signed a formal agreement authorizing the transshipment of the island in 1997 in exchange for a Chinese commitment to preserve Hong Kong`s capitalist system. On July 1, 1997, Hong Kong was peacefully handed over to China at a ceremony attended by many Chinese, British and international dignitaries.
The head of Hong Kong`s new government, Tung Chee Hwa, formulated a policy based on the concept of “one country, two systems” and thus preserved Hong Kong`s role as the main capitalist center in Asia. Investment agreement Parallel agreement with Brunei Darussalam, Malaysia and Singapore Side agreement with Singapore The communist press published reports that the project was a diabolical plan to bleed Hong Kong before the handover and leave the region heavily indebted. [135] After three years of negotiations, the UNITED KINGDOM and the PRC finally reached an agreement on the construction of the new airport and signed a Memorandum of Understanding. [136] By removing the hills and reclaiming land, it took only a few years for the new airport to be built. This group was a connecting organization, not a food organization, where each party could send up to 20 support staff. It should meet at least once a year in each of the three sites (Beijing, London and Hong Kong). Since July 1, 1988, it has been based in Hong Kong. It should also support the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region in maintaining and developing economic and cultural relations and conclude agreements with States, regions and relevant international organizations on these issues, and could therefore establish specialized sub-groups. Between 1985 and 2000, the Joint Liaison Group held 47 plenary meetings, including 18 in Hong Kong, 15 in London and 14 in Beijing. The Sino-British Joint Statement includes eight paragraphs, three annexes on basic policy towards Hong Kong, the Sino-British Joint Liaison Group and land lease agreements, as well as the two memoranda of the two sides.
Each party has the same status, and “the whole forms a formal international agreement that is legally binding in all its parts. Such an international agreement is the highest form of engagement between two sovereign States. [10] Under these declarations, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region reports directly to the Central People`s Government of the PRC and enjoys a high degree of autonomy, with the exception of foreign and defence matters. It is allowed to have independent executive, legislative and judicial powers, including the final decision. The Basic Law stipulates that English can be used in government agencies in addition to Chinese, and that the HKSAR can use its own regional flag and emblem in addition to the national flag and emblem of the PRC. It is intended to maintain the capitalist economic and commercial systems that were previously practiced in Hong Kong. The third paragraph lists the PRC`s basic policy towards Hong Kong: some political analysts felt that there was an urgent need to reach an agreement, as there were fears that Hong Kong`s economy would collapse in the 1980s without a treaty. Concerns about land ownership in the New Leased Territories have also contributed to the problem. Although discussions about Hong Kong`s future began in the late 1970s, the final timing of the Joint Declaration was influenced by real estate and economic factors rather than geopolitical necessities. [9] In April 1997, the acting immigration officer of the U.S.
Consulate General, James DeBates, was suspended after his wife was arrested for smuggling Chinese migrants into the United States. [38] The previous year, his predecessor Jerry Stuchiner had been arrested for smuggling false Honduran passports into the country before being sentenced to 40 months in prison. [39] Hong Kong`s first head of government, Tung Chee-hwa, smiles at the inauguration of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, the official handover of the UK region to China, on July 1, 1997. This event ended 156 years of British colonial rule in Hong Kong. The territory was Britain`s last major possession abroad. .