Abdication of British Dominance in China: Political and Ideological Inviolability of Hong-Kong In the Status of Autonomy

Аннотация

This article explores the reasons and foundations for the formation of Hong Kong’s autonomy, one of the unique state systems in existence today, and its transition from 155 years of British colonial rule to Communist China. It also analyzes the guarantees given in the Sino-British Joint Declaration signed between the United Kingdom and China in 1984, the rights of Hong Kong’s autonomy and the terms of the agreement reached regarding the powers of the People’s Republic of China. China-Hong Kong relations based on the principle of “one country, two systems” can be seen to be severely salted by today’s communist Beijing’s policy of absolute centralization of power in governance. In turn, this current conflict creates new challenges for Hong Kong in maintaining its legal, economic and socio-political identity. By examining recent actions and several researches on the issue of Hong-Kong’s sovereignty, this article sheds light on the importance of Hong-Kong’s political annexation by China in implementing geopolitical ambitions of the Central Communist Party. This paper argues that the gradual erosion of Hong Kong’s autonomy signifies a breach of the 1984 agreement’s core commitments, with far-reaching consequences for China’s international relations and the viability of regional autonomy within its borders. Keywords: “One China” policy, Hong Kong SAR (Special Administrative Region), communism, Sino-British Joint Declaration, Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement (CEPA). the roots of the Hong Kong issue go back to the 19th Introduction: In the last decade, China’s economic century British colonialism, it still has not lost its growth rates have made it one of the world’s leading relevance. Especially today, when not only historical, countries, as well as turning this country into an but also political and legal aspects of China-Hong Kong important political actor in the international arena. The relations collide, the scientific research of a number of expansion of China’s spheres of influence around the historians, political scientists and legal scholars on this world has turned the issue of studying the internal and topic is increasing day by day, especially in Western external political discourse of this country and countries and Hong-Kong. determining its geopolitical goals into a crucial topic in international relations. Among other things, within the The handover of Hong Kong in 1997 marked the end of concept of “One China”, the process of expanding over 155 years of British colonial rule, formalized in the China’s rights and powers in its autonomous regions “Sino-British Joint Declaration” of 1984. There is a has begun, and this has created the need to increase number of scientists devoted their scientific activities research on the fate and future of a sovereign but to the study of this huge colonial period. In particular, Chinese-controlled country like Hong Kong. Although research scholars such as Edward Xiaohui and Dong International Journal Of History And Political Sciences 36 https://theusajournals.com/index.php/ijhps International Journal Of History And Political Sciences (ISSN – 2771-2222) Ming have done a great job in revealing the significance Under the British rule, Hong Kong quickly evolved from of the British colonial period in the formation of today’s a small fishing village into a flourishing commercial hub. modern, secular and legal Hong Kong state. They Britain’s contributions to Hong Kong during this period emphasized in their works that Hong Kong is a rare were significant, particularly in establishing it as a Asian country that has adopted the Anglo-Saxon model global trading post. In his last address to the people of of development and living standards. It is because of Hong Kong, last British governor Christopher Patten this model that Hong Kong became the first country in counted four of the major British contributions to the the East to adopt democratic governance. Hong Kong’s success: “…the rule of law, the civil service, economic freedom, democratization… can be a useful Early assessments about the Hong Kong’s autonomy starting point to articulate the true British legacy from were abstract, some scholars have seen the threat to a Hong Kong perspective”. By taking into consideration the future existence of Hong-Kong as a state, some that notion which was loudly asserted by Chritopher scholars believed to the implementation of western Patten was arguable and there were several casualties values in China through Hong-Kong, but more recent given for achieving this kind of democratic “civil literature highlights the gradual erosion of political society”, but British authorities invested in developing freedom. In his theses, Neville Maxwell criticizes the city’s infrastructure, creating an efficient port Thatcher’s policy of appeasement to China, expressing system and promoting free trade policies as the Hong his displeasure in the Hong Kong issue because it Kong’s strategic location on