Hong Kong under Chinese Sovereignty: A Preliminary Assessment

Abstract

In 1984, after protracted negotiations, the UK and China initialled an agreement on the future of Hong Kong.¹ In the context of the agreement, the future was distinguished from the past by specific references to what would happen to Hong Kong after the expiry of the 99-year lease on the New Territories on 30 June 1997.² During the negotiations, the UK had reluctantly conceded the inevitability of returning both ceded and leased territory to Chinese sovereignty.³ Accordingly, the past was separated from the future by a transition period of some 13 years. This transition period was, in practice, to be divided into two sub-periods. The difference between the two was to be reflected in the intensity of the interaction between the sovereigns and by the increasing level of consultation and co-operation as the date for the handover approached.