What if the Chinese invaded Hong Kong in the 60's?

In the 1960s, Hong Kong was still a British possession. Attacking it would be extremely unwise, and the Chinese were smart enough to know that.
 
In the 1960s, Hong Kong was still a British possession. Attacking it would be extremely unwise, and the Chinese were smart enough to know that.

Exactly. Hong Kong acted as sort of a diplomatic and economic portal back then. It was the source of a large amount of red development asset into the mainland. The '67 riots were a show of force by the pro-CP leftists of course, but the authority up north did emphasize clearly to them that it was not a suitable timing for the "liberation" of Hong Kong.

The Chinese knows that pulling a Goa on Hong Kong would net them nothing but trouble. Even in the madness amidst the Cultural Revolution, saner heads in the Chinese leadership still knows Hong Kong probably had more strategic value if left untouched.
 
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But what would happen though? I'd imagine China getting Hong Kong in such a way, and in such a period, would be a lot less... economically beneficial than the way it acquired it IRL though.
 
I'm curious about this too. I have no real knowledge on the area but I would be interested in seeing what people think too.
 
During the 60's Britain still had a full brigade of infantry, plus artillery and a Squadron of tanks on Hong Kong. Usually an aircraft carrier was in the far east as well. The defenders would lose (they would have resisted) but it would be a diplomatic "own goal" for China. The "New territories" were leased from China but Hong Kong Island itself was British Sovereign territory and an attack on it would be an act of war.

China would have found itself out in the cold, it's loss of international prestige and trade and the inevitable diplomatic isolation would not have been worth it.

It would have been a short conflict, I doubt very much that it would have escalated any further, certainly no nuclear option would have been considered and no military action to recover the colony possible. Britain would have had immense diplomatic support but no one, not even Britain would have considered a military response other than the resistence of the Hong Kong garrison.

In 1997 Britain handed Hong Kong Island back to the chinese along with the leased territory because they realised it would have been foolish to try to hold on to it, but legally, they had the right to hold on to it.
 
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