Hong Kong and China: History and its Modern Application
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| https://www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2019/08/15/hong-kong-protests-sixtus-leung |
Hong Kong has been separated from China since the late 1800’s, when after a series of wars Britain took over the Islands of Hong Kong as a British colony. The agreement between China and Britain, signed in 1898, was that Hong Kong would function under British rule for 99 years, after which Britain would return the land to China; however, during that time Chinese immigrants to Hong Kong as well as British colonists created a totally distinct culture and a new way of life there. This individual cultural development of Hong Kong, separate from China, made Britain's promise to return Hong Kong to China more complicated, as its residents had developed their own distinct national identities, as well as political and economic systems, none of which were in alignment with China.
In an attempt to confront this issue, British leaders met with Chinese leaders in the mid 1980’s to discuss regulations on the return of Hong Kong. They settled on a ‘one country, two systems’ agreement, and in 1987, they returned the territory. This is the agreement that Hong Kong and China are tied to today, under which Hong Kong is technically a part of China but operates its own democratic government, political and economic systems, and culture. In signing Hong Kong back to China, Britain also required that the democratic freedoms and liberties which they established would remain in place.
China agreed to acknowledge Hong Kong’s freedom until 2047, but China has still been indirectly involved in Hong Kong’s politics and elections, which encroaches on Hong Kong’s freedoms. Even though Hong Kong was promised the right to a democratically elected government by the British in the 1980’s, many of today’s seats in Hong Kong’s Legislative Council are reserved for big businesses, which almost always have a tendency to support China over Hong Kong.
Due to this obvious meddling by China in the politics of Hong Kong and to the slowly approaching year of 2047 (when China is legally allowed to take control of Hong Kong), there has been an increasing number of protests by Hong Kongers speaking out against China. Especially in recent months, the protests have grown and started to make international news. Hong Kongers have spoken out against China’s interference in Hong Kong’s politics as well as any return of Hong Kong to China. Hong Kongers argue that their increasingly distinct culture and national identity separates them from China, and many call for national independence.
It has been especially interesting to watch as this age-old global controversy has gained traction over recent months. Hong Kong and the issue of its independence have been points of contention since the early 1900’s, but it is still an important and urgent question to the global public today. Hong Kong has established its own national identity, culture, and economy, but this autonomy and independence is not reflected through China’s legislation or politics. This has proven to be a huge issue to Hong Kongers, and until a consensus is reached about Hong Kong and its independence, we will continue to see protests calling for action in Hong Kong.
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