That lead to mass protests from people who wanted full direct democracy. The protests shut down central parts of the city for weeks. The move was later reversed. There are also a lot of people in Hong Kong who are concerned that China is increasingly meddling in Hong Kong politics in other ways, undermining more politically liberal traditions.
The anniversary of the handover is usually also marked by large demonstrations from both camps of the political divide. That's the date after which mainland China is no longer obliged to grant the autonomy agreed on with Britain before the handover. While there are some who call for full independence, China has ruled out that option. With an increasingly politicised younger generation, most observers expect a tough political struggle over the city's future. Hong Kong: Twenty years later.
I am no puppet of Beijing, says Lam. Hong Kong: From British rule to the present. Image source, AFP. Official banners marking the anniversary stress the unity with Beijing.
Here is what you need to know:. What led to the handover? Britain's last governor of Hong Kong receives the Union Jack flag after it is lowered for the last time. Read more about Hong Kong since the handover:. British and other foreign nationals may be employed to serve as advisors or hold positions up to deputy department directors in the government.
Although Britain made the explicit commitment that it would not raise any proposal that contravenes the principle of China 's sovereignty over Hong Kong, it still raised many issues that violated its commitment.
For instance, Britain tried repeatedly to use the concept of "maximum autonomy" to alter the concept of "high degree of autonomy" raised by the Chinese side in an attempt to obstruct placing the government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region under the direct jurisdiction of the central government.
Britain also repeatedly asked the Chinese side not to station troops in Hong Kong so as to limit China 's exercise of sovereignty over Hong Kong. It asked to set up the office of "British Commissioner" who is different from the counsels general of other countries in Hong Kong, hoping to turn the future Hong Kong Special Administrative Region into a member or associated member of the Commonwealth.
Britain asked that foreign nationals holding Hong Kong passports may serve the highest level officials in Hong Kong's civil services and that China take over without any change the structure the existing Hong Kong government and accept changes Britain may make in the Hong Kong government during the transitional period.
In essence, by raising the above demands, Britain wanted to turn the future Hong Kong into an independent or semi-independent political entity under its influence. As they directly contravened China's sovereignty, these demands were naturally rejected by China. Starting from the 12th round of talks in April, , the negotiation shifted onto arrangements in Hong Kong during the transitional period and matters relating to the transfer of power.
Through negotiation, China and Britain agreed that China would recover Hong Kong and resume the exercise of sovereignty over it, and there should be explicit reference in this regard in the agreement between the two sides. Britain, however, did not accept China 's formulation of its resumption of exercise of sovereignty over Hong Kong.
The several drafts it put forward all had the implication that the three unequal treaties were valid, which were not acceptable to the Chinese side. Finally, both sides agreed to use the following formulations in the form of a Joint Declaration: The Chinese government declared that "the Government of the People's Republic of China has decided to resume the exercise of sovereignty over Hong Kong with effect from 1 July The two sides reached agreement on all the issues on September 18, and initialed the Sino-British Joint Declaration and its three annexes.
This brought the two-year old Sino-British negotiation on Hong Kong to a successful conclusion. On May 27, , the Chinese and British governments exchanged instruments of ratification, and the Sino-British Joint Declaration formally entered into force. Following the signing of the Joint Declaration, Hong Kong entered the transitional period. Generally, the Chinese and British governments had good cooperation during the transitional period and resolved many important issues. The British side, however, in a bid to accomplish its "honorary retreat" from Hong Kong, sought to change the political system in Hong Kong under the name of expanding democracy and attempted to impose it on the Chinese side.
With this in mind, Patten, the last governor of Hong Kong, introduced a plan of political reform. The Chinese government rejected the plan with a firm and yet measured response, ensuring the smooth transition of Hong Kong and the transfer of its power. At midnight, June 30, , the Chinese and British governments held a power transferring ceremony in Hong Kong at which the Chinese government formally resumed the exercise of sovereignty over Hong Kong. Hong Kong's return to China marks the success of applying Deng Xiaoping's concept of "one country, two systems" to resolve the Hong Kong issue and an important step forward in the cause of China 's reunification.
It also contributed to world peace and stability. In his speech delivered at the power transferring ceremony, President Jiang Zemin emphasized that after Hong Kong is returned to China, the Chinese government will firmly pursue the basic policy of "one country, two systems", "Hong Kong people governing Hong Kong" and ensuring a high degree of autonomy for Hong Kong. While not independent, Hong Kong can set its own taxes, enter trade agreements with other states on its own, and is exempt from tariffs and customs controls applied on Chinese goods.
In that arena, Hong Kong is overwhelmingly dominated by big business interests—both colonial-legacy British multinational conglomerates, and local business tycoons who historically worked closely with the British colonial government, reaping huge profits along the way. After , they held on to their economic might by working closely with Beijing instead. It made fortunes trading tea and opium between Europe and Asia, and later evolved to be an investment house. Many streets and landmarks are still named after the firm in Hong Kong, where the movement to replace colonial-era names has never taken off.
Then there are the local tycoons. Many of these businesses are core to daily life. For example, there is effectively a supermarket duopoly pdf, p. The tycoons also have a tight grip on electricity and gas providers, and bus services.
The businesses have vast political power, too. By providing your email, you agree to the Quartz Privacy Policy. Skip to navigation Skip to content. Discover Membership. Editions Quartz.
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