The Status of Hong Kong

In 1997, the status of Hong Kong will change. Hong Kong has been one of two Chinese areas - the other being Macao - under the control of foreign powers. The Chinese see these as "problems left over from history," and they were the result of imperialist aggression and incompetence on the part of Chinese rulers in the nineteenth century. Hong Kong has been under British control as the result of three treaties with the Chinese from the last century, but in the mid-1980s China concluded formal agreements with Britain for the return of Hong Kong in 1997. The Hong Kong area, fearful of being returned to Red Chinese dominion, has been given a high degree of autonomy in the agreement with Britain, and it will be considered a "special administrative region" of China. From the standpoint of the Chinese, return of Hong Kong to their control has been an important issue of nationalism and sovereignty.

However, as noted, there has been considerable uncertainty in Hong Kong as to what the reunification effort will mean for the business community there. Hong Kong has become a prosperous region and will indeed be an asset to the People's Republic of China if it is allowed to continue in its capitalist tradition. Concerns in Hong Kong have been exacerbated by the events that took place in Tiananmen Square in Beijing in 1989 when thousands of demonstrators seeking more democracy in China were attacked routed, and many killed by Chinese troops acting under the directi

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nce the former regime had shown in previous eras to gun-boat diplomacy and full-scale invasion alike. There was a certain cost in this effort that may have delayed economic reconstruction, but the Chinese saw it as an important effort. The campaign again mobilized support from the country. Indeed, the regime always tried to enlist the support of the various groups in Chinese society. Kaplan, Sobin, and Service further note the success of this effort: Thus within three years of establishing nationwide control, the new regime had set China on a new course. An unprecedentedly large and powerful political machine had ended decades of disunity and put a large dent in several centuries-old social customs and institutions. (p. 70) What emerged was a new, mass politics, but as Kaplan, Sobin, and Service state, this was only the beginning: "Social transformation had yet to be accomplished in other areas, and the grand task of economic development had barely begun" (p. 70). Red China and Hong Kong For the most part, the events in Red China were only news reports to the people of Hong Kong. Red China, as noted, did not invade in 1949 as many had feared, and after that date the people of China were busy redeveloping their o

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