Sovereignty of Hongkong

Sovereignty of Honk Kong

9(7) Vivian Yuan

There was no problem nor negotiation between Chinese government and hong kong government in the early times. Basically, honkong government would have just listen to Chinese government or the Qing government at that time. So I’ll will talk about the sovereignty of Honk Kong which had been once given to Britain. While talking it, I will introduce the background or the history of China as well.

Since the imperialism was prevalent in the western area. China was still kind of isolated, when European nations and US asked for trade, the Manchus always refused, until mid-1800s, one open trade finally allowed in Guangzhou. By attraction of the great resources in china Europeans started to use opium to exchange trade. However, a Manchu official seized and burnt 20,000 opium from British which angered the British as well. There comes the first opium war. Remembered China was a isolated country, so their science and invention were all fallen behind. Therefore, Britain won the absolute victory. And the first negotiation was developed. I don’t think Qing official and British official really had a well negotiation because in front of the powerful Britain, Qing as the defeated one was just trying to give as what Britain want to pay for the lost of opium and cost of war. The result was the first unequal treaty: the Treaty of Nanjing in 1842. The HongKong island was given to British.

Then in 1850s, British tried to renegotiate with Qing empire, they attempted to demand for more territories and add more unfair treatments, Qing empire rejected which turned to the second opium war. The result was obvious, Qing lost again. So they signed the second big Unequal treaty, the Treaty of Peking in 1860, Qing ceded the Kowloon peninsula to British, and British made it became part of HongKong.

Till here, China was carved by several European nations, seems like coast cities were not much left. British saw the chance and forced Qing to full jurisdiction of the lands they gained. On June 9th 1989, the Qing Government and British signed the third significant Unequal treaty, the Convention for the Extension of the Hong Kong territory. Under the convention the territories north of what is now Boundary Street and south of the Sham Chun River, and the surrounding islands, later known as the “New Territories" were given to Britain for 99 years rent-free, later became part of the crown colony of Hong Kong.