by Cody Hodge

Created on: July 31, 2009   Last Updated: September 17, 2009

On July 1st, 1997, Hong Kong was returned to Britain after a 99 year lease had expired. Agreed to in 1898, the agreement between Britain and China allowed for the British to not only control Hong Kong, but the surrounding islands that were under Chinese control before the agreement. The agreement allowed the British to control what was a main port for the British Empire, and allowed for the security of Hong Kong against the threat of the Chinese trying to take it back for any reason.

The agreement that allowed Britain to control Hong Kong for 99 years was called the Second Convention of Hong Kong, and gave Britatin the island of Hong Kong. Notice that this was the Second Convention of Hong Kong, and not the first convention, or something else like that. So what happened before then? Why was Britain so interested in Hong Kong, and why was it such a coveted peice of land for the British to have?

Basically the English loved Chinese tea, but they didn't want to pay for it. Instead of actually using the gold and silver that the British had as trade commodities, they decided that were going to forcibly push Opium from India instead. You can imagine that the Chinese weren't too thrilled that Opium was being forced upon their country, and they were going to fight in order to keep the Opium out of China.

The first Opium war was fought between 1839-1842, which was started when the Chinese government destroyed 20,000 bales of Opium. The result was the British gaining victory over the Chinese. In 1842 the Treaty of Nanking ceded the islands of Hong Kong, and some others surrounding it to the British. These islands would eventually be known as the New Territories, and the British would use them as ports naturally.

While Hong Kong was technically leased to the British, it wasn't as if the British asked China for Hong Kong. Basically England went in and took Hong Kong from the Chinese almost by force. Recognizing that the British had taken control of the island, and that the British military might was going to be too strong, they just ceded the island. Again, it was more of a recognition on the part of Britain that China could be a threat in the region if they wanted to, so diplomatic channels were used to secure the entire region around Hong Kong.

Hong Kong was returned to China on July 1st, 1997. Under the terms of the lease, Hong Kong still has the right to self-rule more or less, and has the right to all the political systems that it had under the British for the next 50 years.

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