Different Roads to Home: Sovereignty Issue over Hong Kong and Macau - Term Paper Example

For example the national languages differ, the legal and the justice systems are different and operate on different laws. (Li and Bray 33). The coming into force of this policy was so unique because the practice was not common in any other remain of decolonization. Since the Second World War the trend which dominated international politics was that of secession. This was the practice of giving rise to other independent states by breaking down bigger territories. The case of Hong Kong and Macau was unique because it portrayed the opposite of secession which involved smaller units joining bigger states.

The merger of these two states with the mainland prompted an approach called one country two systems formula between the mainland and the island states. Consequently, this further led to the establishment of special administrative regions which were independent and managed their own affairs separately from that of the mainland. Transfer of sovereignty of Hong Kong and Macau in 1997 and 1999 respectively marked the hand over or the return of these two states to mainland China. This was the end of both the Portuguese and British rule in these two enclaves.

The entry of these two states prompted the establishment of regions known as special administrative region (SAR) of the mainland. Initially these two countries were under the western rule and adopted the system of capitalism. That is an economic system based on the private ownership of capital. This was contrary to that of the mainland which was purely communism. That is a form of socialism that abolishes or dismisses private ownership of capital or a political theory that favors the collectivism of individuals in a c classless society.

The integration of these three units therefore prompted the one country two systems policy. This policy advocated the retention of the social, economic, and political aspects by these states that were joining the main