Did Britain make the right decision in ceding Hong Kong Island & Kowloon to China?

Question

Instead of just returning the New Territories? Apparantly it was a 'a cause of controversy in Britain at the time: some were surprised that the right wing Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher would agree to such an arrangement with the Communist government of China represented by Deng Xiaoping.'

PLS NOTE: Hong Kong consists of three parts; Hong Kong Island, Kowloon and New Territories. Britain was ONLY legally required to transfer the New Territories to the China under the treaties. Hong Kong Island and Kowloon were ceded to Britain.

Answer 1

It would have been unlawful for Britain not to cede HK to China as the agreement had run out.

The Chinese agreed to keep the capitalism that was the source of the successful economy. This helped to keep the population happy with the arrangement. The only negative really was that the Chinese seeing this success of operating an economy would give them pointers on China's future success. We are now all paying for that by their rising economy effecting the rest of the worlds' economies.

Answer 2

I think that throughout the years it was understood that Britain would hand back the whole package,and to have gone by the book at the last minute would have caused too much of an international crisis that it wouldn't have been worth it.And besides,all China would have to have done was cut off Hong Kong's water supply which comes from the New Territories,and neither H.K. nor Kowloon would have been able to function.

Answer 3

Both Hong Kong Island and Kowloon has economic & expensive areas. If i were you, I would live in a nice area in Kowloon instead of Hong Kong. Commuting thru MTR across the Harbor can be very hectic.

Answer 4

Hong Kong was on loan/rent to the UK for 99 years. So it had to go back when it did. However, where I work we have a lot of Chinese people from both the mainland of China and Hong Kong. The people from the mainland tell me that the government really didn't want it back but because of the agreement they accepted.

Since it's handover nothing much has changed I've been told. The Chinese government is treading carefully on what they do as the lifestyle over in HK is still based on the UK way of life.

Answer 5

They didn't really want it anymore, it was too much trouble to keep it up and running and having to watch spies from the mainland etc.. there was lots of drug smuggling and people smuggling in and out of HK from the PRC. My friends dad was in the Royal Hong Kong Police which was obviously disbanded after the 99yr lease had ended. And he said that the people of Kowloon and Hong Kong did not want to be handed back to China as they thought they would lose freedoms that they had previously had under British rule. So in that respect it was good for China and The UK but not so good for the people of Hong Kong.

Answer 6

I always understood that Hong Kong was under lease to Britain, much as the Panama Canal was to the US. Contracts must be honored, or imagine all the dissent should someone down the timeline of the contract say no. By dissent, I mean war. Then how much would be lost?

Answer 7

Britain made the right decision to hand back Hong Kong to China when they did, because if they had not Tony would have gone to war with China, God forbid

Answer 8

It was not a question of right and wrong. The terms of the agreement had run its 99 year course. Imperialism has taken a long time to disappear. What about political rights and nationality status for Hong Kong citizens. Ignored for years by UK governments.

Answer 9

why do you have to call it "ceded?" when it was merely returned simply because the old contract of lease is done...by any angle hong kong is part of mainland china (taiwan and tibet are arguable case)...and to not returned what you have rented is ridiculous! britain can never colonise forever if it want to advocate democracy.

Answer 10

Britain had no choice. The 99 year lease was up, somthing to do with the Opium war I think. Victorian Britain sent troops to China to fight for the Heroin poppy. Then planted loads of it in India, which was Owned by Britain. That caused all the Heroin problems we have today. You can thank good old Victorian standards for that kock up.