In April 2019, an extradition bill was proposed in Hong Kong, prompting mass protests. [36] The new law states that people suspected of serious crimes can be sent to China. [37] This was initiated because a murder suspect had fled Taiwan for Hong Kong in 2018. [38] He was charged with the murder of his 20-year-old pregnant girlfriend, so Taiwan asked Hong Kong authorities to extradite the man. It was negotiated in the 1980s by Deng Xiaoping and Margaret Thatcher and obliges Beijing to guarantee political and economic freedoms in the city that are not granted to mainland China`s 1.4 billion people. “We didn`t just mention `50 years` on a whim,” Deng told Thatcher at the ceremony. “We developed the number taking into account the reality and development needs of China.” Hong Kong was a colony of the United Kingdom governed by a governor appointed by the monarchy of the United Kingdom, for 156 years, from 1841 (with the exception of four years of Japanese occupation during World War II) until 1997, when it was returned to Chinese sovereignty. China has agreed to accept certain conditions set out in the Sino-British Joint Statement, such as the drafting and adoption of Hong Kong`s “mini-constitutional law” before its return. Hong Kong`s Basic Law guaranteed that Hong Kong would maintain its capitalist economic system and its own currency (the Hong Kong dollar), its legal system, its legislative system, and the same human rights and freedoms as China`s Special Administrative Region (SAR) for 50 years. The current agreement, which expires in 2047, has allowed Hong Kong to operate in many international environments (for example, this has led to more than 17,000 people signing a petition against Yuk-lin. [20] During his visit to Hong Kong in July 2017, Communist Party of China General Secretary Xi Jinping also announced the need to improve and promote “national history and culture” in Hong Kong education. [20] In early 1982, China formally adopted a policy of adopting Hong Kong under the concept of “one country, two systems.” The document written at the time already stated that the deal would be maintained for 50 years, meaning Deng had drawn up detailed plans for Hong Kong long before his meeting with Thatcher. The UK, which has also ended its extradition deal with the region, said it would allow three million Hong Kongers to settle in the country and apply for citizenship.
Canada announced measures to facilitate the education and work of Hong Kong youth in the country and created pathways to permanent residence. The European Union, which said it was “gravely concerned” about the national security law, has limited exports of equipment that China could use to crack down and vowed to relax visa and asylum policies for Hong Kong residents. Xi has centralized power and dragged the country in a more authoritarian direction than when the 50-year grace period expired. In 1984, Deng Xiaoping said that Hong Kong could be another 50 years old if that period wasn`t enough. “We never thought that day would come so quickly because they said things would remain unchanged for 50 years. But now, 28 years before [2047], it already feels like there`s nothing like it (that they broke their promise). It`s completely different. Everyone has to go out and resist. At least we must first fight for the remaining 28 years. Winnie Wong, 25, engineer For now, China`s leaders have the final say on Hong Kong`s elections as chief executive and have ruled out any demand that would allow the city to elect a leader to stand up to Beijing. This points to years of unrest in Hong Kong if the students behind the movement continue to fight. .