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Independence of Hong Kong
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Independence of Hong Kong () is a political movement that advocates Hong Kong to become an independent sovereign state. After the handover to the People's Republic of China, many Hong Kong people are worried about the ruling of the Communist Party of China. They are also worried about Hong Kong would lose the well-developed economic environment, as well as freedom and democracy after being a (SAR). Some of them want the current SAR to become a sovereign state like Singapore. According to recent researches, there is approximately 25-30% Hong Kong people prefer an independent Hong Kong rather than a SAR ruled by PRC. Background The territories of Hong Kong were not entirely ceded to Britain at one time. The cessions can be divided into three periods. In 1842, the Hong Kong Island was formally ceded in perpetuity to the United Kingdom under the Treaty of Nanking. In 1860, after China's defeat in the Second Opium War, the Kowloon Peninsula and Stonecutter's Island were ceded in perpetuity to Britain under the Convention of Peking. In 1898, under the terms of the Convention for the Extension of Hong Kong Territory, Britain obtained a 99-year lease of Lantau Island and the adjacent northern lands, which became known as the New Territories. The ethnic majority of Hong Kong is Han Chinese. Some of them are native but many of them were refugees and migrants from mainland China. Most of them escaped to Hong Kong because of the unrest in mainland, such as the World War II, Civil War, and the ruling of Communists. Many of them recognize themselves as "Chinese people", but in which "Chinese" means the "ethnicity" rather than the "". Therefore, some ideas and thoughts of independence rise in Hong Kong. Those people desire independent governance, instead of either the British or Chinese governance. In 1946, the United Nations allowed some colonies can be independent and to form their own countries, such as Hong Kong and Singapore. Then the No. 1514 UN Resolution was approved in 1960, the resolution allows that all colonies can be formally independent. In 1972, the permanent UN seat of the Republic of China was replaced by the People's Republic of China. After the replacement, PRC proposed the transfer of sovereignty over Hong Kong and Macau. However the Britain soon opposed against the transfer over Hong Kong. Somehow, the Sino-British Joint Declaration was eventually signed, and Hong Kong finally returned to the People's Republic of China in 1997. Reasons Some main reasons that caused the movement are listed below: *The Sino-British Joint Declaration of 1984 declares that the Britain would return all territories of Hong Kong to the People's Republic of China in 1997. *The Tiananmen Square protests of 1989 caused many Hong Kong people to lose the reliance on the PRC governance. It also caused more Hong Kong people to worry about the Communists, eventually led to the mass migration wave of 1989. Influence The movement is not widely supported now. However, regarding of various researches, there are about 30% Hong Kong people still prefer Hong Kong as an independent sovereign country. Names Several country names have been recommended by those organizations that advocates the Independence, such as the Republic of Hong Kong () or just Hong Kong (). Referendum Some organizations even advise Hong Kong shall refer to decolonization programs executed worldwide in the past and hold a referendum to determine its political future.
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