3 upvotes, 1 direct replies (showing 1)
View submission: Casual Questions Thread
Why Did The UK give control of Hong Kong back to Mainland China? Simple question. It was very controversial when Hong Kong was back in the hands of the CCP and, from what I understand, the majority of the citizens in Hong Kong did not like this change. They were given autonomy from the CCP as China has been criticized for being overly restrictive with its citizens. If this is true, why would the UK give Hong Kong back? Did China put pressure on it or the EU?
Comment by zlefin_actual at 01/01/2024 at 00:40 UTC
5 upvotes, 1 direct replies
Mostly because it was militarily indefensible; partly also because the terms of the treaty obliged the UK to give it back. But mostly the area was simply too close to the mainland and too small to be militarily defensible against the Chinese taking it back by force.
Sure they could've fought China over it, but that'd likely be so destructive to Hong Kong as to be not in anyone's interest. The Hong Kongers largely preferred a peaceful transition (with the option to leave for Britain) to an unwinnable and destructive war.