The Sino-British joint declaration on the question of Hong-Kong :

Abstract

After reviewing the accord, the author asserts that the Hong Kong agreement does solve the Sino-British disputes over the sovereignty of Hong Kong. It is not, however, an effective guarantee for the status quo of post-1997 Hong Kong. Three sets of problems come to mind: (1) the PRC must violate its own constitution in order to give effect to this agreement; (2) the agreement is quite vague on several key issues; and (3) over the next sixty years there will be numerous changes in the leadership and policies of the PRC, some of which could negatively impact upon Hong Kong.

The author reviews the history of China's relationship with Britain as it relates to the Hong Kong issue. He then discusses the Sino-British negotiations, analyzing factors that conditioned the bargaining positions of both parties. He bases his study on a framework which includes symbolic issues (sovereignty, national prestige, and human rights), economic and diplomatic considerations, and the role of the Hong Kong people. Overall, the PRC had a stronger stance mainly because of Hong Kong's heavy material dependence upon mainland China and the PRC's manipulation of nationalistic symbols. However, this stronger position was tempered by diplomatic considerations. The PRC wanted to appear to be "reasonable" in order to improve its relations with the ASEAN states and Taiwan.

Despite an international situation that had existed for more than 140 years with serious difficulties at times, the People's Republic of China (PRC) and the United Kingdom (UK) reached a solution to their dispute over Hong Kong within a two-year period through diplomatic negotiations. The PRC would not recognize all of the Hong Kong treaties while the UK asserted that it had treaty rights over Hong Kong. According to the 1984 agreement, the PRC will recover all of the territory of Hong Kong in July 1997 and will not impose its socialist system immediately. Hong Kong's capitalist system and life-style will be allowed to exist until 2047. The UK will continue its administration in Hong Kong up to June 30, 1997.