OPPORTUNITY TO IMPOSE DIVISIONS ON CHINA AND FORCED THE QING
• GOVERNMENT IN 1898 TO SIGN THE
IN 1898 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 99 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 XINHAI (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 U N, IN A
LETTER TO THE CHAIRMAN OF THE UN SPECIAL COMMITTEE ON DECOLONISATION
3
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 COMMITTEE.
AT THE END OF THE 1970'S, AS THE DATE OF EXPIRY OF THE ''NEW
TERRITORIES' LEASE APPROACHED, THE BRITISH SIDE WISHED TO
UNDERSTAND OUR ATTITUDE ON SOLVING THE QUESTION OF HONG KONG.
FOREIGN AND CHINESE INVESTORS IN HONG KONG ALSO EXPRESSED CONCERN
ABOUT HONG KONG'S FUTURE. FOLLOWING THE THIRD PLENARY SESSION
OF THE 11TH CENTRAL COMMITTEE OF THE PARTY, OUR COUNTRY ENTERED A NEW HISTORICAL ERA AND PEOPLE THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY WITH A
COMMON WILL PUT THEIR EFFORTS TOWARDS AN INDUSTRIOUS STRUGGLE TO
1