Hong Kong is a crown colony of Great Britain. It consists of three areas, Hong Kong Island (English territory by the Treaty of Nanking in 1842), the tip of Kowloon Peninsula (English territory by the Convention of Peking in 1860) and the New Territories (leased for 99 years by the Convention for the Extension of Hong Kong in 1898). Also included is an area north of Kowloon up to Shum Chun River, and 235 islands.
The Republic of China, established in the revolution of 1911, endeavored in vain to regain Hong Kong. The Nationalist Government had not enough power to negotiate with Great Britain, because they were fighting against Japan with the aid of the U. S. and the U. K. In 1949, the People's Republic of China emerged. The Communist Government recognized the status quo. They awaited a “suitable period” for the return of Hong Kong. Now we know the “suitable period” is the expiration of the lease, that is, June 30, 1997.
The Sino-British Hong Kong Talks began after the British Prime Minister, Mrs. Margaret Thatcher, visited China in September, 1982. Both sides agreed to maintain Hong Kong's stability and prosperity. Great Britain was, at first, intending to extend the lease. But Peking rejected that proposal decisively, and took a firm stand for regaining Chinese sovereignty over the whole of Hong Kong.
After a year and a half of negotiations, Communist China demanded the return of sovereignty, as the British Foreign Secretary, Sir Geoffrey Howe, stated at a press conference on May 20, 1984. Instead of this concession, Britain got a gurantee to maintain the present state of things in Hong Kong for at least 50 years. They are now negotiating how to maintain Hong Kong's status quo.
How about the future of Hong Kong? I quite agree with Mr. James McGregor, director of the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce. He said, “I dont't believe that a communist country can successfully become responsible for a free-enterprise, free-trade territory and keep its hands off. It won't work.” (cf. “International Business Week”, March 5, 1984, p. 46)
抄録全体を表示