1. THE BASIC POLICIES OF OUR GOVERNMENT ON THE SOLUTION OF THE HONG KONG QUESTION.
HONG KONG, INCLUDING HONG KONG ISLAND, KOWLOON AND THE **NEW TWRRITORIES'', HAS BEEN A PART OF CHINA'S TERRITORY SINCE ANCIENT TIMES. IN 1840 BRITAIN LAUNCHED THE OPIUM WAR AND FORCED THE QING GOVERNMENT TO SIGH THE TREATY OF HANKING IN 1842 CEDING HONG KONG
AND ISLAND. IN 1856 BRITAIN LAUNCHED THE SECOND OPIUM WAR, FORCED THE QING GOVERNMENT IN 1860 TO CONCLUDE THE CONVENTION OF PEKING, CEDING THE AREA OF THE KOWLOON PENINSULA SOUTH OF BOUNDARY STREET. AFTER THE 1895 SINO/JAPANESE WAR BRITAIN AGAIN SEIZED THE OPPORTUNITY TO IMPOSE DIVISIONS ON CHINA AND FORCED THE QING GOVERNMENT IN 1398 TO SIGN THE **CONVENTION ON THE EXPANSION AND OPENING OF HONG KONG'S BOUNDARIES'', IMPOSING A LEASE ON THE LARGE TRACT OF LAND IN THE NORTHERN PART OF THE KOWLOON PENINSULA TO THE NORTH OF BOUNDARY STREET AND TO THE SOUTH OF THE SHENZHEN RIVER AS WELL AS SOME 200 ODD ISLANDS (AFTERWARDS COMMONLY CALLED *THE NEW TERRITORIES''). THE PERIOD OF THE LEASE WAS 39 YEARS, THE DATE OF EXPIRY BEING 1997.
THE ABOVE THREE TREATIES WERE ALL THE PRODUCTS OF ARMED INVASION. THE CHINESE PEOPLE HAVE NEVER RECOGNISED THESE UNEQUAL TREATIES. FOLLOWING THE XINIHAL (1911) REVOLUTION SUCCESSIVE CHINESE GOVERNMENTS HAVE NOT RECOGNISED THESE UNEQUAL TREATIES. AFTER THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA, OUR GOVERNMENT MADE CLEAR ITS POSITION ON THE QUESTION OF HONG KONG ON MANY OCCASIONS, IE THAT HONG KONG IS A PART OF CHINESE TERRITORY AND THAT CHINA DOES NOT RECOGNISE THE THREE UNEQUAL TREATIES IMPOSED ON HER BY IMPERIALISM. WITH REGARD TO THIS QUESTION LEFT OVER FROM HISTORY, THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT HAS ALWAYS ADVOCATED THAT IT SHOULD BE SOLVED THROUGH PEACEFUL NEGOTIATION AT A SUITABLE TIME AND THAT IN ADVANCE OF A SOLUTION THE STATUS-QUO SHOULD BE MAINTAINED.
ON 8 MARCH 1972 OUR PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE TO THE UN, IN A LETTER TO THE CHAIRMAN OF THE UN SPECIAL COMMITTEE ON DECOLONISATION
REITERATED THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT'S POSITION, POINTING OUT: HONG KONG AND MACAO ARE PARTS OF CHINESE TERRITORY OCCUPIED BY THE BRITISH AND PORTUGUESE AUTHORITIES. THE SOLUTION OF THE QUESTIONS OF HONG KONG AND MACAO LIE ENTIRELY WITHIN THE SPHERE OF CHINA'S SOVEREIGNTY AND ARE FUNDAMENTALLY SEPARATE FROM THE NORMAL CATEGORY OF SO-CALLED ''COLONIES. FOR THIS REASON, THEY SHOULD NOT BE ON THE LIST OF SUITABLE COLONIAL TERRITORIES FOR THE DECOLONISATION DECLARATION'. THE UN SPECIAL COMMITTEE ON DECOLONISATION PASSED A RESOLUTION ON 15 JUNE THAT YEAR PROPOSING TO THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY THE REMOVAL OF HONG KONG AND MACAO FROM THE ABOVE LIST OF COLONIES. ON 8 NOVEMBER 1972 THE 27TH SESSION OF THE UNGA PASSED A RESOLUTION. APPROVING THE REPORT OF THE SPECIAL COMMITTED.
AT THE END OF THE 1970'S, AS THE DATE OF EXPIRY OF THE **NEW TERRITORIES' LEASE APPROACHED, THE BRITISH SIDE WISHED TO
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