The Return of Hong Kong to China - Essay Example

The return of Hong Kong to China Affiliation: United s Department of acknowledges that Hong Kong, which is abbreviated as H.K is regarded as an exceptional administrative part of China. Hong Kong is situated on the south coast of China. The region is enclosed by two rivers, the sea of South China and the delta river. This paper explores the outcome of the return of Hong Kong to China. According to Levin 92014), the resumption of sovereignty by the Chinese over Hong Kong brought an end to British rule of the region that had lasted for 156 years. This incident was characterized by lowering of the British flag in the region and that of China being raised instead (Lowe, 2014). Thus, the then free wheeled capitalist territory was put under the control of the communists. A huge caesura in Great Britain concerning Hong Kong emerged in 1945 when the British said that it was not automatic that Hong Kong was going to revert to the status it enjoyed before their colonization by the British. The United States had equally preferred that Britain remains in Hong Kong for an extended period of time. In 1950s, Hong Kong growth was attributed to textile exports and growth in the manufacturing industries (Gragan, nd). At some point, Hong Kong acted as the hub of foreign investment in China. Several leaders from Britain helped the growth of Hong Kong during the British reign. One of them was Queen Elizabeth. Queen Elizabeth spearheaded the growth of health institutions in Hong Kong. Through the initiatives of the queen, Prince Margaret and Wales hospitals were constructed. The two health institutions improved the quality of health services that were being enjoyed by the inhabitants of Hong Kong (Chan, 2014). The transfer of Hong Kong to china is an event that had been waited for by the Chinese for a long time based on earlier agreements with Britain in 1984. The agreement was that China was going to bring an end to the opium trade in Hong Kong. However, the British were reluctant about letting go Hong Kong because they were uncertain whether China would be able to gain control of the region for the next 50 years from 1997 (Lowe, 2014). The transfer of Hong Kong to Chinese people was supported by ordinary of people in the region. Hong Kong was voiceless on its own. In 1996, China through its preparatory committee of 150 people ensured that the Hong Kong government began on a strong note. The inhabitants of Hong Kong celebrated within the streets. The celebration was not because the British were going or that the Beijing masters were coming. Gargan (n.d) observes that they celebrated because they imagined they were going to witness the biggest moment of freedom in their history. The transfer of power of Hong Kong from the British to the Chinese was presided over by the then Chinese president, Jian Zemin. At the handover ceremony, the British acknowledged that the transfer was a victory for the entire globe for the attainment of both justice and peace in Hong Kong (Chan, 2014). The return of Hong Kong to China, the motherland after an entire century full of vicissitudes marked major indications. To start with, it meant that Hong Kong became a master in china land. Secondly, it also symbolized an era for development in Hong Kong. This is because the residents of Hong Kong perceived Britain as an obstacle towards their development. They also assumed that they were going to experience the change sooner because of their freedom from the British. Pageantry and pomp characterized the handover ceremony of Hong Kong in china. Dignitaries across the world came to grace the ceremony. Prince Charles in his speech congratulated the people of Hong Kong and wished the new nation, social economic and political successes. The prince further added that the world would fully support Hong Kong in mainstreaming its growth after 150 years of British rule. The island of Hong Kong had been under control of the British since 1842 except during the Second World War when Japan took control. The chief executive of China, Mr. Tung, was of great help in cultivating the traditional values of china in Hong Kong (Lowe, 2014). The main values that interested Tung were concerning democracy and political rights. Additionally, he also laid great emphasis on education and housing in his attempts to increase the number of house ownership among the residents of Hong Kong. Social programs were also targeted towards the poor and elderly. The elderly and poor were given cash payments. With the help of Tung, a provisional legislature was put in place to help in handling legislative elections that were conducted after the handover in 1998. For legislations to be efficient, Tung and his colleagues had to rework on the rules of politics (US department of State, 2010). Of the 60 legislative positions created, 20 were going to be filled using the proportional representation system. The other 40 vacant seats were filled by a committee in charge of elections and electoral colleagues. This leadership transition was to the advantage of Hong Kong. The leadership led to the development of the both the elite and businesses in China. This is because most citizens of Hong had admired having stability within their country since they had identified their own democratic process. In the initial years after the handover of Hong Kong to China, Hong Kong was very stable. This was attributed to the free and fair outcome of the democratic and civil process. However, there was one problem that started cropping up. The Democratic Party was against the electoral system of Hong Kong as they thought the electoral system was going to undermine their influence and freedom (Chan, 2014). Jiang, the then president of China was useful in the return of Hong Kong to china, the motherland of Hong Kong (Levin, 2014). This was a great historical event in the history of China. Consequently, Taiwan was reunited with the mainland of China. However, Taiwan and the party of Democratic Progress refuted the assertions of Jiang that China was the motherland of Hong Kong. The coalition made up Taiwan and the progressive party vowed to resist the attempts by China to have control of the island of Hong Kong. Taiwan put up some strategies to scare of China from the actions it was going to engage in. Taiwan engaged in live military exercises to warn China of the competition, they were going to have. Later, more than 70 000 troops from Taiwan attended a campaign that was meant to say no to Chinese reunification rally (Levin, 2014). These actions were being staged by Taiwanese despite their prior support to China to initiate peace in Hong Kong. China was committed towards peace and stability in Hong Kong. Through Beijing, China puts in place a group of lawmakers in charge of day to day events of the new nation (Levin, 2014). The group of lawmakers comprised civil liberties of Hong Kong. The lawmakers also shun down all efforts that tempted to promote the Taiwan independence. Firefighters, police officers all combined efforts to unpin the colonial symbols of the British. This led to the removal of the main government coat of arms and the Hong Kong emblem being in place. Prince Charles and the British colonial governor were driven from the handover ceremony that took place at midnight. At dawn break, the city of Hong Kong was full of armored processions of at least 4000 soldiers. The United States of America was concerned that China should pledge that they were going to respect the economic and political autonomy of Hong Kong (Gargan, n.d). This seemed strange as the British who had been in Hong Kong would have ensured that peace and stability remained in a country they had colonized. Albright, the then secretary of state of the United States of America and Bill Clinton notified Beijing that their character was going to be monitored based on their smooth relations with China. This would in turn influence the relations between China and entire nations of the world, particularly the Sino-American one. Chinese leaders were reluctant to allow their citizen’s access to Hong Kong. Hong Kong long history with the empire of the British has been useful in shaping the autonomy enjoyed by the island in the 21st century despite its return to China. This autonomy is enjoyed because of the joint declaration signed between Hong Kong and Britain. The agreement between Hong Kong and Britain ensured that Hong Kong was to continue with the capitalist system of economy that was put forth by the British. The same agreement saw that the people of Hong Kong were to enjoy their rights and freedom for the next 50 years from the year 1997, the handover date. Several achievements have been enjoyed by Hong Kong since 1997 freedom attainment. One of the most remarkable events was in 2009 when the nation hosted Asian games in the east. During the games, national teams of nine nations competed for a trophy. This was not only the first, but also the largest international sports events in the nation. Currently, Hong Kong is proud of its stable market in the global arena. However, China, which had taken over Hong Kong from the British, remains no major competitor of the small economy regarding trade matters. In conclusion, recollections of the Hong history remain one of the best world histories. In addition, the history will continue to be of great benefit concerning the information has proved very useful for many academic papers across the world especially in America and Britain. However, most history of Hong Kong has focused on travelers in the region rather than the residents themselves. Prior to the British arrival in Hong Kong, the history matters focuses on land instead of the people. Hence, Hong Kong history cannot be generalized for the entire region. This fact also leaves china with no right of fighting over to have the control of the island under their custody. Generally though, the history of events in China has greatly ignored. Nevertheless, one question that remains answered is the history Hong Kong Island has had since 1997. Has China helped the control since 1997 or things have worsened? A major attribute in Hong Kong is the fact that its economy is rapidly growing because of the peace and stability in the region. References Chan, C. (2014). Narrating the Hong Kong Story: Deciphering Identity through Icons, Images and Trends. Retrieved March 24, 2014 from http://worldhistoryconnected.press.illinois.edu/10.1/chan.html Gargan, E.A. (n.d). China Resumes Control of Hong Kong, Concluding 156 years of British Rule. Retrieved 14th March 2014 from http://www.nytimes.com/learning/general/onthisday/big/0630.html Lowe, K. (2014). Hong Kong’s missing story. Retrieved 24th March 2014 from http://www.historytoday.com/kate-lowe/hong-kongs-missing-history Levin, S. (2014). Hong Kong’s Return to China: Year in Review. Retrieved March 14th 2014 from http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/1020544/Hong-Kongs-Return-To-China-Year-In-Review-1997 US department of State (2010). China: Democracy, human rights and Labor. International Religious report.Retrieved March 24, 2014 from http://www.state.gov/j/drl/rls/irf/2010/148863.htm#hong_kong Read More