7.3 Sino-British Joint Declaration

In the late 1970s, with the New Territories Lease due to expire in mid-1997, investors took a wait-and-see attitude towards Hong Kong's investment environment.

In 1982 British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher met with the leaders of China concerning the question of Hong Kong's future sovereignty.

Two years' diplomatic negotiation ensued, and finally the Chinese and British Governments agreed on the Sino-British Joint Declaration, which was co-signed in Beijing on 19 December 1984.

The Sino-British Joint Declaration consists of a main document, the Joint Declaration on the Question of Hong Kong, and its three annexes.

The Joint Declaration stipulates that after the establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region on 1 July 1997, Hong Kong will remain unchanged for 50 years.

Credit : History Museum of HK.