Hong Kong, former pearl of the British Empire, Chinese for 25 years

After 156 years of British sovereignty, the Pearl of the Orient was returned to China on July 1, 1997. Beijing had promised “one country, two systems”. Since then, human rights defenders have been arrested and imprisoned, the free press muzzled and the economy slowed down.

1842, China loses the First Opium War. The Qing dynasty wanted to ban the trade in the substance in the territory to escape the influence of the United Kingdom, which since 1773 has enjoyed a monopoly on its sale.

After four years of a conflict that demonstrated the superiority of the British army over a decadent Chinese dynasty, Hong Kong is taken as the spoils of war. The Treaty of Nanjing is signed, Hong Kong becomes a colony of the Empire.

The locality had only 7,500 inhabitants at the time, mainly fishermen and their families, but the geographical location of the island was exceptional. It is located in front of the Pearl Delta, opposite Canton, the great Chinese port of the time open to foreigners. A few years later, the HSBC bank (Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation) was founded. In 1865, 70% of sea freight passing through Hong Kong concerned opium from India. The city already has more than 83,000 inhabitants.

This is the beginning of an extraordinary development. Hong Kong became one of the leading ports in the world, its harbor was equipped to accommodate the largest merchant ships and at the beginning of the 20th century, its traffic exceeded that of London, Antwerp or New York.

British for 99 years

In 1898, the British wanted to expand Hong Kong. That’s when they signed a 99-year lease granted by China on the New Bay Territories. New towns are being created there, they mainly house industries that are developing, sugar, metallurgy and textiles in particular.

During the Second World War, the city was occupied by the Japanese, then in 1949 many refugees arrived in Hong Kong after the communist party came to power in Beijing.

In the 1960s and 1970s, the city outperformed. Education and tourism are developing, Hong Kong is becoming one of the most influential financial centers on the planet, alongside London and New York.

In 1972, China obtained that Hong Kong be removed from the list of colonies and in 1984, a dialogue opened between London and Beijing on the handover of the New Territories scheduled for 1997. Margaret Thatcher hoped to continue the British presence but she faced to a Chinese government that rejects all the treaties signed in the 19th century. Beijing considers them unjust and unequal and refuses to recognize British sovereignty over Hong Kong. A declaration is then signed. It provides for the retrocession of the territory of Hong Kong as a whole.

Hong Kong becomes Chinese again

On July 1, 1997, Hong Kong therefore became a Special Administrative Region (SAR) of the People’s Republic of China. The Queen’s portrait disappears from banknotes, stamps and public offices. Four thousand Chinese soldiers immediately take possession of the territory to record the change of sovereignty.

The British managed to negotiate that Beijing’s socialist policies not be applied immediately in Hong Kong. The territory is allowed to retain its capitalist system and way of life for fifty years. Unfulfilled promise: for ten years, Beijing has taken control of the territory: citizens who demanded universal suffrage were sentenced to prison and an independence party was banned in 2018.

In 2020, Beijing imposed a draconian national security law. Several press titles were forced to close. Petulant media boss Jimmy Lai is currently in jail. In just a few years, Hong Kong has gone from 18th to 80th place in the world ranking of press freedom published by Reporters Without Borders.

Since last year, Liberal Studies courses have been suspended. Supposed to develop critical thinking among young Hong Kongers, they have been replaced by “Citizenship and social development” courses. The goal: to make the new generation more patriotic.

Economically, Hong Kong faces competition from Shanghai and Singapore. The political takeover of Beijing has prompted several companies to leave the city and the candidates for departure are more and more numerous. London claims to have received more than 120,000 residence applications.

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