Republic of China in July 1987.
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Among the provisions of the Joint Declaration are:-
that Hong Kong will have its own government comprising
Hong Kong people, not people brought in from China;
that the socialist system and socialist policies will not be imposed on Hong Kong from China; nor will Hong Kong pay taxes to China;
that Hong Kong's capitalist system and its way of life will continue, with all its human rights and freedoms, its laws and its legal system, its own freely convertible currency etc, its financial markets, its free port, religious liberties and so on;
that Hong Kong will have autonomy to govern itself and in most fields to pursue its own policies. Foreign and defence affairs will be the responsibility of the sovereign power China just as they are now
Britain's responsibility.
But Hong Kong will
nevertheless be able to conduct its own relations with
other countries on matters such as trade, culture and
civil aviation, and conclude agreements on these subjects. Hong Kong will be able to maintain a vast
range of international links, and will continue to
participate in international organisations as it does
today.
that entry into Hong Kong from China will continue to
be regulated as at present; in other words, Hong Kong will not be swamped by immigrants from the mainland.
This is by no means an exhaustive list. But it serves to illustrate the exceptional nature of the arrangements secured for Hong Kong. The Joint Declaration deals with
virtually every aspect of Hong Kong life. In each case it