July 1 marks Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Establishment Day. The general public holiday commemorates the day China resumed sovereignty over Hong Kong, after more than a century of British colonial rule, in 1997.
In 1842, the Chinese emperor ceded Hong Kong Island to the British bringing an end to the first Opium War. China later ceded the Kowloon Peninsula in 1860, ending the second Opium War.
Requiring more land and adequate defence of the colony, China leased the New Territories to the British in 1898 for 99 years, following the end of the First Sino-Japanese War.
With the imminent expiration of the New Territories lease, Hong Kong governor Murray MacLehose raised the issue with Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping during his first official visit to China. MacLehose suggested to Deng that the British could continue to “administer” Hong Kong after 1997. However, Deng informed MacLehose of Chinese intention to resume full sovereignty over Hong Kong.
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British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher repeated MacLehose’s suggestion to Deng during her visit to Beijing in 1982, but was rebuffed.
The Sino-British Joint Declaration was signed at the end of 1984, paving the way for the return of Hong Kong under Chinese control on July 1, 1997, under the “one country, two systems” policy. It was agreed that Hong Kong would become a special administrative region of the People’s Republic of China, with Hong Kong’s way of life to remain unchanged for 50 years
