CONFIDENTIAL
DSR 11C
SECTION I: BRITISH RESPONSIBILITY FOR HONG KONG
W16
1. Britain acquired the Crown Colony of Hong Kong (see maps Annex A) by three key agreements reached with the Chinese Imperial Court during the latter half of the 19th century (Annex B: History of Hong Kong's acquisition by Great Britain). These treaties established British authority
in the following areas:-
2.
a)
Hong Kong Island, ceded in perpetuity by China to Great Britain under the Treaty of Nanking, 1842 (Annex C).
b) The southern part of Kowloon Peninsula, ceded by the Peking Convention, 1860 (Annex D).
c) The New Territories, comprising the area north of Kowloon up to the Shum Chun River, and including 235 islands, leased to Britain for 99 years under the Peking Convention, 1898 (Annex E). This Convention included a proviso allowing Chinese jurisdiction in Kowloon Walled City, an area of about 62 acres, "except so far
as might bé inconsistent with the military requirements of Hong Kong". In 1899, to guard against acts of violence against British personnel, this area was occupied and made part of the New Territories.
The boundaries of the Colony were confirmed in the Ordinances of Hong Kong 1911 (No. 31 Section 39) and defined once again in the Second Schedule (Boundaries of the Colony) of the Interpretation and General Clauses Ordinance (Chapter 1) 1966. The powers of the Crown and the relationship of the Hong Kong Government to the Crown are set out in the Letters Patent and Royal Instructions to the Governor of Hong Kong of 1917, which, although subject to amendments, are still force (Annex G). The most recent amendment is dated 26 August 1977. The fact that Britain exercises sovereign powers over Hong Kong is clear from the Letters Patent.
13.
CONFIDENTIAL
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