East Asia Lecture: The Pro-Democracy Demonstrations in Hong Kong

The University of Kansas Center for East Asian Studies presents visiting lecturer Scott Colby speaking on the topic of the Pro-Democracy Demonstrations in Hong Kong.

China and Britain signed the Sino-British Joint Declaration on December 19, 1984 in Beijing in the Great Hall of the People near Tien An Men Square. The Joint Declaration stated that China would take sovereignty over Hong Kong on July 1, 1997. The recent controversies and protests concerning political democracy in Hong Kong focus on how much sovereignty the Hong Kong government is to be allowed to have by the Chinese government in Beijing.aThe roots of the present civil unrest lie in the manner by which Britain and China chose to transfer sovereignty. The Hong Kong government was never officially represented in the negotiations. The interests of the residents of Hong Kong were given little heed in the desire of China to regain her territory and in the desire of Britain to retreat from her crown colony with honor.