Editing Hong Kong (section)

=== Chinese special administrative region ===
{{Further|Handover of Hong Kong}}
[[File:Avenue of Stars, Hong Kong (2052819038).jpg|thumb|[[Victoria Harbour]] and [[Hong Kong Island]], 2007]]

The colony faced an uncertain future as the end of the New Territories lease approached, and [[Murray MacLehose, Baron MacLehose of Beoch|Governor Murray MacLehose]] raised the question of Hong Kong's status with [[Deng Xiaoping]] in 1979.<ref>{{harvnb|Carroll|2007|pp=176–178}}.</ref> Diplomatic negotiations with China resulted in the 1984 [[Sino-British Joint Declaration]], in which the United Kingdom agreed to the handover of the colony in 1997 and China would guarantee Hong Kong's economic and political systems for 50 years after the handover.<ref name="Carroll181">{{harvnb|Carroll|2007|p=181}}.</ref> The impending handover triggered a [[Waves of mass migrations from Hong Kong|wave of mass emigration]] as residents feared an erosion of civil rights, the rule of law, and quality of life.<ref>{{harvnb|Wong|1992|p=9}}.</ref> Over half a million people left the territory during the peak migration period, from 1987 to 1996.<ref name="2002Pop">{{harvnb|Population Policy Report|2002|pp=27–28}}</ref> The Legislative Council became a [[1995 Hong Kong legislative election|fully elected legislature]] for the first time in 1995 and extensively expanded its functions and organisations throughout the last years of the colonial rule.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Gargan |first1=Edward A. |title=Pro-China Party Appears Big Loser in Hong Kong Election |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1995/09/18/world/pro-china-party-appears-big-loser-in-hong-kong-election.html |work=The New York Times |date=18 September 1995 |access-date=20 November 2020 |archive-date=8 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210508195434/https://www.nytimes.com/1995/09/18/world/pro-china-party-appears-big-loser-in-hong-kong-election.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The handover of Hong Kong to China was at midnight on 1 July 1997, after 156 years of British rule.<ref name="NYTHandover">{{harvnb|Gargan|1997}}.</ref>

Immediately after the handover, Hong Kong was severely affected by several crises. The Hong Kong government was forced to use substantial [[foreign exchange reserves]] to maintain the Hong Kong dollar's currency peg during the [[1997 Asian financial crisis]],<ref name="Wiltshire" /> and the recovery from this was muted by an [[Influenza A virus subtype H5N1|H5N1 avian-flu]] outbreak<ref>{{harvnb|Carroll|2007|p=218}}</ref> and a housing surplus.<ref>{{harvnb|Cheung|Ho|2013}}.</ref> This was followed by the [[2002–2004 SARS outbreak|2003 SARS epidemic]], during which the territory experienced its most serious economic downturn.<ref>{{harvnb|Lee|2006|pp=63–70}}.</ref>

Chinese communists portrayed the return of Hong Kong as key moment in the PRC's rise to [[great power]] status.<ref name=":172">{{Cite book |last=Crean |first=Jeffrey |title=The Fear of Chinese Power: an International History |date=2024 |publisher=[[Bloomsbury Academic]] |isbn=978-1-350-23394-2 |edition= |series=New Approaches to International History series |location=London, UK}}</ref>{{Rp|page=51}}

[[File:Hong Kong anti-extradition bill protest (48108527758).jpg|thumb|[[2019–2020 Hong Kong protests|Hong Kong protests]], August 2019]]

Political debates after the handover have centred around the region's [[Democratic development in Hong Kong|democratic development]] and the [[State Council of the People's Republic of China|Chinese central government]]'s adherence to the "one country, two systems" principle. After reversal of the last colonial era Legislative Council [[1994 Hong Kong electoral reform|democratic reforms]] following the handover,<ref>{{harvnb|Carroll|2007|p=200}}.</ref> the regional government unsuccessfully attempted to enact [[National Security (Legislative Provisions) Bill 2003|national security legislation]] pursuant to [[Hong Kong Basic Law Article 23|Article 23 of the Basic Law]].<ref>{{harvnb|Carroll|2007|pp=226, 233}}.</ref> The central government decision to implement [[2014 NPCSC Decision on Hong Kong|nominee pre-screening]] before allowing [[2014–2015 Hong Kong electoral reform|chief executive elections]] triggered a series of [[2014 Hong Kong protests|protests in 2014]] which became known as the Umbrella Revolution.<ref>{{harvnb|Kaiman|2014}}.</ref> Discrepancies in the electoral registry and disqualification of elected legislators after the [[2016 Hong Kong legislative election|2016 Legislative Council elections]]<ref>{{harvnb|Bland|2016}}.</ref><ref>{{harvnb|Haas|2017}}.</ref><ref>{{harvnb|Huang|2016}}.</ref> and enforcement of national law in the [[Hong Kong West Kowloon railway station|West Kowloon high-speed railway station]] raised further concerns about the region's autonomy.<ref>{{harvnb|Siu|Chung|2017}}.</ref> In June 2019, [[2019–2020 Hong Kong protests|mass protests erupted]] in response to a [[2019 Hong Kong extradition bill|proposed extradition amendment bill]] permitting the extradition of fugitives to mainland China. The protests are the largest in Hong Kong's history,<ref name="EconomistRestoreCalm">{{harvnb|"To restore calm in Hong Kong, try democracy", ''The Economist''}}</ref> with organisers claiming to have attracted more than three million Hong Kong residents.

The Hong Kong regional government and Chinese central government responded to the protests with a number of administrative measures to quell dissent. In June 2020, the Legislative Council passed the [[National Anthem Ordinance]], which criminalised "insults to the national anthem of China".<ref>{{cite web |title=CE signs National Anthem Ordinance (with photos) |url=https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/202006/11/P2020061100793.htm |website=HKSAR Government Press Releases |access-date=12 June 2020 |archive-date=12 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200612041953/https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/202006/11/P2020061100793.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> The Chinese central government meanwhile enacted the [[2020 Hong Kong national security law|Hong Kong national security law]] to help quell protests in the region.<ref name="cnn20200630">{{cite web|last=Regan|first=Helen|date=29 June 2020|title=China passes sweeping Hong Kong national security law: report|url=https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/29/china/hong-kong-national-security-law-passed-intl-hnk/index.html|access-date=29 June 2020|publisher=[[CNN]]|archive-date=1 July 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200701113134/https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/29/china/hong-kong-national-security-law-passed-intl-hnk/index.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Nine months later, in March 2021, the Chinese central government introduced [[2021 Hong Kong electoral changes|amendments to Hong Kong's electoral system]], which included the reduction of directly elected seats in the Legislative Council and the requirement that all candidates be vetted and approved by a Beijing-appointed [[Candidate Eligibility Review Committee]].<ref name="france2420210311">{{cite news |date=11 March 2021 |title=China approves plan to veto Hong Kong election candidates |url=https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20210311-china-approves-plan-to-veto-hong-kong-election-candidates |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210312063804/https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20210311-china-approves-plan-to-veto-hong-kong-election-candidates |archive-date=12 March 2021 |access-date=6 September 2022 |work=[[France 24]]}}</ref>

In May 2023, the Legislative Council also introduced legislation to reduce the number of directly elected seats in the district councils, and a [[District Council Eligibility Review Committee]] was similarly established to vet candidates.<ref name="dc2023_freepress01">{{cite news|url=https://hongkongfp.com/2023/07/06/hong-kong-cuts-directly-elected-district-council-seats-as-overhaul-unanimously-approved/|title=Hong Kong cuts directly elected District Council seats as overhaul unanimously approved|publisher=Hong Kong Free Press|date=6 July 2023}}</ref><ref name="dc2023_gld01">{{cite web|url=https://www.gld.gov.hk/egazette/pdf/20232745e/egn2023274569.pdf|title=Ordinance passed and promulgated|publisher=Hong Kong Government Gazette|date=10 July 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230710090226/https://www.gld.gov.hk/egazette/pdf/20232745e/egn2023274569.pdf|archive-date=10 July 2023|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="dc2023_gld02">{{cite web|url=https://www.gld.gov.hk/egazette/pdf/20232745e/es12023274519.pdf|title=District Councils (Amendment) Ordinance 2023—Ordinance No. 19 of 2023|publisher=Hong Kong Government Gazette|date=10 July 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230710090315/https://www.gld.gov.hk/egazette/pdf/20232745e/es12023274519.pdf|archive-date=10 July 2023|url-status=live}}</ref>