Uk China Agreement Hong Kong

The model meant that China would allow the freedoms enshrined in the British transfer agreement and hong Kong would be recognized as under Beijing`s sovereignty. In March 1979, Hong Kong Governor Murray MacLehose made his first official visit to the People`s Republic of China (PRC) and took the initiative to raise the issue of Hong Kong sovereignty with Deng Xiaoping. [7] Without clarification and determination of the official position of the PRC government, mediating real estate leases and loan agreements in Hong Kong over the next 18 years would become difficult. [5] The Sino-British Joint Declaration itself does not have a mechanism approved by both sides to ensure its compliance. Although the agreement is registered with the United Nations, it did not contain any United Nations oversight mechanism. Therefore, only the signatories of the declaration have the right to assert possible violations of the conditions. The UK said it viewed China`s decision to change Hong Kong`s electoral system as a serious violation of the 1985 transfer agreement. During the 2014 Umbrella Revolution, a campaign against mainland China`s perceived violations in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, 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] On December 19, 1984, after years of negotiations, the British and Chinese leaders signed a formal pact approving the colony`s fluctuation 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. The communist press published reports that the project was a diabolical plan to bleed Hong Kong to death before the handover, leaving the region heavily in debt. [135] After three years of negotiations, the UNITED KINGDOM and the PRC finally agreed 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 to build the new airport. 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] Kenneth Chan, a political scientist at Hong Kong Baptist University, told DW last week that when the UK returned Hong Kong to China, the deal was reached with the agreement that the city would move towards democracy. Some political analysts thought it was urgent to reach an agreement because there were fears that without a deal, Hong Kong`s economy would collapse in the 1980s. 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] The Agreement entered into force on 27 May 1985 and was adopted on 12 May 1985. It was registered with the United Nations in 1985 by the Chinese and British governments. The list included representatives of the Hong Kong government, members of the Legislative and Executive Council, presidents of Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation and Standard Chartered Bank, prominent businessmen such as Li Ka-shing, Pao Yue-kong and Fok Ying-tung, and Martin Lee Chu-ming and Szeto Wah. The China-UK Joint Statement consists of eight paragraphs, three annexes on the basic policy on Hong Kong, the China-UK 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 affairs and defence. It may have independent executive, legislative and judicial powers, including the final decision. The Basic Law stipulates that in addition to Chinese, English can also be used in government agencies and that in addition to the national flag and national emblem of the People`s Republic of China, the HKSAR can use its own regional flag and emblem. It is intended to maintain the capitalist economic and commercial systems previously practiced in Hong Kong. The third paragraph lists the PRC`s basic policy towards Hong Kong: the signing of the Joint Declaration caused some controversy in the UK because the Prime Minister of the British Conservative Party, Margaret Thatcher, agreed with the Chinese Communist government, represented by Deng Xiaoping. [9] In the White Paper containing the Joint Declaration, Her Majesty`s Government stated that "the alternative to the adoption of this Agreement is not to reach an agreement", a statement intended to refute criticism that the Declaration had made too many concessions to China and which indicated China`s significant influence during the negotiations.

[9] One of the most important achievements has been to ensure the continuity of the independent judicial system in Hong Kong, including agreements in the legal fields of merchant shipping, civil aviation, nuclear materials, whaling, underwater telegraph, space and many others. 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. This group was a connecting, not a power, body 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 in this regard with relevant States, regions and international organizations, 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. As the atmosphere of the talks warmed, members of Hong Kong`s Legislative Council felt impatient over the longstanding secrecy over the progress of Sino-British talks on the Hong Kong issue. A motion tabled by lawmaker Roger Lobo stating: "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] Britain quickly returned to this unofficial part of the agreement, attacking the walled city of Kowloon in 1899, only to find it abandoned. .