Colonel flagg
Banned
What if England owned Hong Kong and territory instead of just renting from China would China invade to reclaim territory?
Don't you mean the Government of Great Britain, Northern Ireland and Territories?What if England owned Hong Kong and territory instead of just renting from China would China invade to reclaim territory?
See what happened to Goa.OTOH, if the New Territories, et al, where also de jure British, not a 99 year lease, would Britain even be obligated to return it then, assuming a POD far enough back where such is the case. Hong Kong has long been a major business and transport hub, having de jure control of it in entirety up through the modern day could radically change British politics and involvement on the world stage.
See what happened to Goa.
China doesn't even need to militarily invade Hong Kong; it could just declare an embargo and collapse the whole city (Hong Kong without economic ties to China is like NYC not having anything to with the rest of the USA, there's no rationale for it).
But Guantanamo Bay survive as US territory.See what happened to Goa.
Well, Cuba will never be in a good position to pull up a Goa on Guantanamo Bay.But Guantanamo Bay survive as US territory.
Well, Cuba will never be in a good position to pull up a Goa on Guantanamo Bay.
Thatcher might refuse to drop the claim, but her successor will almost certainly recognize reality.If the entirety of Hong Kong was ceded (not just leased) to the UK, a lot would depend upon the leaders in each country come the era of Chinese power. If, for example, Deng Xiaoping attacked Hong Kong in 1982 (as he threatened to do during talks with PM Margaret Thatcher) there would be little Britain could do to stop them - Thatcher herself admitted that "there is nothing I could do to stop you," but warned that, "the eyes of the world would now know what China is like".
I such a situation I imagine that Thatcher would refuse to drop the British claim, and British rule over Hong Kong might be recognised by much of the 'Western Bloc' even if China has de facto control.
Alternatively, if there was a permanent cession and Deng restrained his impulse to attack, there might be a firmer justification for joint administration, or perhaps even joint sovereignty. I suspect the former to be more likely; one of the PRC's main points of argument was that the treaties which had placed the territory in British hands were 'unequal'.
I don't know if joint Anglo-Chinese administration with Chinese sovereignty meets the requirements, or even whether such a situation would last.
Thatcher might refuse to drop the claim, but her successor will almost certainly recognize reality.
I think that depends on which out of (1) maintaining the status quo or (2) changing things looks more advantageous to China...What if England owned Hong Kong and territory instead of just renting from China would China invade to reclaim territory?
Thatcher might refuse to drop the claim, but her successor will almost certainly recognise reality.
Like Ukraine has recognized a Russian Crimea? Oh wait.
Reagan probably isn't going to do too much (look at the initial debate within the Reagan Administration over the Falklands business), and we Americans really needed China to put the screws on the Soviets.
From the 1887 Sino-Portuguese Treaty of Peking: "China confirms, in its entirety, the second Article of the Protocol of Lisbon, relating to the perpetual occupation and government of Macao by Portugal." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sino-Portuguese_Treaty_of_Peking A recognized perpetual right of the UK to all of Hong Kong would be about as valuable.