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China said on Friday the joint declaration with Britain over Hong Kong, which laid the blueprint over how the city would be ruled after its return to China in 1997, was a historical document that no longer had any practical significance.
In response, Britain said the declaration remained in force and was a legally valid treaty to which it was committed to upholding.
The stark announcement from the Chinese Foreign Ministry, that is sure to raise questions over Beijing’s commitment to Hong Kong’s core freedoms, came the same day Chinese President Xi Jinping said in Hong Kong the “one country, two systems” formula was recognized “by the whole world”.
It was not immediately clear if Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang was attacking just the idea of continued British involvement in Hong Kong, which marks the 20th anniversary of Chinese rule on Saturday, or the principles in the document.
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Tuesday August 13 2019, @03:08PM (11 children)
Long term blowback? None. There will be some short term wailing and gnashing of teeth, which will be eclipsed by the wailing and gnashing of teeth when the dems lose the next election.
Annexing, or repossessing, Hong Kong and China's other possessions was the long term goal, after all. They are reuniting their country. How many of us seriously believed it would go any other way, in the long term?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday August 13 2019, @03:11PM (10 children)
Right. So what were the British thinking, giving away Hong Kong? Massive mistake.
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Tuesday August 13 2019, @03:18PM (2 children)
They're Brits. They aren't required to think. Keep a stiff upper lip, and don't be late for tea, Mate. And, don't show up in that tired old stable jacket like last time!
(Score: -1, Flamebait) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday August 13 2019, @03:33PM (1 child)
Full meltdown mode, please just don't shoot or otherwise hurt anyone ok?
(Score: -1, Offtopic) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday August 13 2019, @03:42PM
I think he ate your sister. Does that count?
(Score: 4, Informative) by tangomargarine on Tuesday August 13 2019, @03:27PM (5 children)
Abiding by international treaties? They didn't "give away" Hong Kong; they had it on a 99-year lease.
"Is that really true?" "I just spent the last hour telling you to think for yourself! Didn't you hear anything I said?"
(Score: 2) by tangomargarine on Tuesday August 13 2019, @03:39PM
Hmm, okay apparently that only covers *part* of the territory, but they decided it would be too much trouble to separate it and keep the rest. The original core parts of HK they had acquired via treaties.
- Wikipedia [wikipedia.org]
"Is that really true?" "I just spent the last hour telling you to think for yourself! Didn't you hear anything I said?"
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday August 13 2019, @10:58PM
So that's where China learned this BS from. They love getting '99 year' treaties of ports and the like. For all the good it will do for them in the long run. In some places they need 24/7 security for their people just for day to day business.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 14 2019, @03:10PM (2 children)
That treaty was not made with Chairman Mao.
(Score: 2) by tangomargarine on Wednesday August 14 2019, @04:30PM (1 child)
And the assumption is that, if they say "that treaty was with some other country, not us", that means that they get Hong Kong back? Why?
Or would it make more sense, in an absence of any agreement, to say "whoever currently occupies and runs the place owns it"?
Or you could always invade, I suppose.
"Is that really true?" "I just spent the last hour telling you to think for yourself! Didn't you hear anything I said?"
(Score: 2) by tangomargarine on Wednesday August 14 2019, @04:36PM
I guess the Brits decided that they didn't want to arbitrarily be dicks to China when they were a rising global power. If China was generally abiding by their other treaty obligations, makes sense.
"Is that really true?" "I just spent the last hour telling you to think for yourself! Didn't you hear anything I said?"
(Score: 2) by fido_dogstoyevsky on Wednesday August 14 2019, @11:13AM
That their lease had expired.
It's NOT a conspiracy... it's a plot.