Learning and Teaching Resources

Self-learning On-line Course

Theme: Hong Kong under “One country, two systems”

Topic: Historical background of “One country, two systems” and the process of Hong Kong’s return to China

Prior Knowledge

In basic education, students should have already acquired the following learning experiences:

a brief understanding of the three unequal treaties and their background
a preliminary understanding of the process of Hong Kong’s return to China
a general understanding of the constitutional basis, enactment and promulgation of the Basic Law

(I) Historical background of the three unequal treaties and the origin of the Basic Law

Hong Kong has been part of the territory of China since ancient times; it was occupied by Britain after the Opium War in 1840. On 19 December 1984, the Chinese and British Governments signed the Joint Declaration on the Question of Hong Kong, affirming that the Government of the People’s Republic of China will resume the exercise of sovereignty over Hong Kong with effect from 1 July 1997, thus fulfilling the long-cherished common aspiration of the Chinese people for the recovery of Hong Kong.

The first stage of the Sino-British negotiations covered the period from September 1982, when Margaret Thatcher, the British prime minister visited China, to June 1983. The second stage lasted from July 1983 to September 1984, when the Sino-British Joint Declaration was initialled.

China has never recognised the three unequal treaties and had always held sovereignty over Hong Kong. This is very clear and there is no room for discussion.

The Sino-British Joint Declaration of 19 December 1984

The Sino-British Joint Declaration consists of a main document and three annexes.

Focuses of the main document include:

1.	The Government of the People's Republic of China declares that to recover the Hong Kong area (including Hong Kong Island, Kowloon and the New Territories, hereinafter referred to as Hong Kong) is the common aspiration of the entire Chinese people, and that it has decided to resume the exercise of sovereignty over Hong Kong with effect from 1 July 1997.
2.	The Government of the United Kingdom declares that it will restore Hong Kong to the People’s Republic of China with effect from 1 July 1997.
3.	The Government of the People’s Republic of China declares that there are 12 basic policies of the People's Republic of China regarding Hong Kong.

Source A: video clip of 緣來《基本法》

The video is retrieved from the Basic Law video teaching resource package for secondary schools in 2015. The video can be browsed on the “Self-learning web page for students” on the Citizenship and Social Development Web-based Resource Platform.

The video lasts for about 7 minutes.

Based on the video clip in Source A, insert the items at appropriate places of the timeline in chronological order.

The Qing government and Britain signed the three unequal treaties in the 19th century

(II) A chronology of Hong Kong’s return to China

Restoration of the lawful rights of the People’s Republic of China in the United Nations in 1971
United Nations General Assembly Resolution 2758 (XXVI)
Resolution: To restore all its rights to the People’s Republic of China and to recognise the representatives of its Government as the only legitimate representatives of China to the United Nations, and to expel forthwith the representatives of Chiang Kai-shek from the place which they unlawfully occupy at the United Nations and in all the organisations related to it.

Removal of Hong Kong and Macau from the list of Non-Self-Governing Territories in 1972
The questions of Hong Kong and Macau were the results of a series of unequal treaties imposed on China by the imperialists. Hong Kong and Macau were part of Chinese territory occupied by the British and Portuguese authorities. The resolutions of the questions of Hong Kong and Macau were entirely within the sovereignty of China and do not fall under the scope of colonies.

On 2 November 1972, the UN General Assembly approved the resolution report of the Special Committee on the Decolonisation, removing Hong Kong and Macau from the list of Non-Self-Governing Territories.