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China had promised that Hong Kong could retain its civil, economic and political freedoms for 50 years under the “one country, two systems” framework. In recent years, however, Beijing has severely restricted rights to freedom of speech and assembly in the name of safeguarding national security, effectively eliminating political opposition.
1841: After China’s defeat in the First Opium War, the Qing Dynasty ceded Hong Kong Island to Britain. The British government, starting next year, helps develop the trade in goods ranging from tea to porcelain, while the Chinese leadership deals with internal conflict and growing demand for foreign access to its huge domestic market.
1860: The colony developed after the Qing ceded Kowloon, a mountainous area across from Hong Kong Island, to Britain after the Second Opium War. China agreed to the demands after the court was driven out of Beijing and the famous Summer Palace was looted, looted and burned by foreign troops.
1898: Britain leased the New Territories, a large area around Kowloon, from China for 99 years, or until 1997. Much of the countryside provided a buffer against unrest in mainland China and greater economic dynamism throughout the colony. The lease also set the stage for Hong Kong’s eventual return to Chinese rule.
1941-45: Japan occupied Hong Kong until the end of World War II. The British, Chinese and Allied forces resisted for three weeks, but were overwhelmingly forced to surrender. As with anti-colonialism, rhetoric against Japan’s wartime atrocities remains a central theme of the Communist Party’s nationalist appeal.
1984: In 1997, Britain agreed to return Hong Kong to China under the “one country, two systems” framework, which gave Hong Kong a 50-year economic and political system. The Sino-British joint agreement is registered with the United Nations, although Beijing now says it is invalid and rejects any foreign criticism of meddling in its internal affairs.
1997: Prince Charles and Chinese President Jiang Zemin attended the handover ceremony of Hong Kong. Hours later, Chinese People’s Liberation Army troops entered the city in a highly public display of China’s denial of colonial rule.
Year 2003: In the largest protest since the handover, hundreds of thousands of citizens marched against proposed national security legislation that would criminalize “subversion” of the Chinese government.The bill was subsequently withdrawn in what was seen as a victory for the civic group and a sign that Beijing would continue
— albeit waning — tolerance for dissent.
2014: Protesters seeking a direct election of Hong Kong’s chief executive have besieged the government headquarters for 79 days, but have failed to win any concessions. The protests have spawned a generation of young activists who will continue to push for greater freedoms against an increasingly recalcitrant Chinese leadership.
2017: Chinese President Xi Jinping made a speech during a visit to Hong Kong on the 20th anniversary of Hong Kong’s return, declaring that Beijing would not accept any objection. Carrie Lam, a longtime civil servant and close ally of Beijing, became Hong Kong’s chief executive, charged with enforcing China’s wishes while maintaining Hong Kong’s status as an international business hub.
2019: The protests have erupted over proposed legislation that could send Hong Kong and foreign residents to face trial in mainland China, a legal system accused of abuse and forced confessions. While the bill was withdrawn, most students and young people continued to protest, frustrated by the lack of representation and opportunity in one of the world’s most economically divided cities.
2020: After harsh crackdown on protesters, opposition figures and independent media, China’s rubber-stamp parliament has imposed a sweeping national security law that has jailed thousands of government critics and others seeking asylum abroad or being intimidated into silence. Personnel changes in Hong Kong’s Legislative Council ensure that only “patriots” loyal to Beijing have a voice.
2022: former security chief John Lee appointed as Hong Kong’s chief executive He was the only candidate after what was widely seen as a sham election. Due to his role in the fight against human rights in Hong Kong, Mr. Li is one of the Hong Kong and mainland Chinese officials who have been subject to U.S. and European visa bans due to the U.S. and European visa bans.
Authorities demanded new textbooks claiming that Hong Kong was never a British colony and that China never recognised the status of these treaties. The move is seen as an attempt to erase memory of past freedoms and uphold the ideology of China’s “great renaissance” at the heart of Xi’s political agenda.
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