Originally posted by Replicant
I always understood that Hong Kong was only leased to the UK for 99 years, which ceased in 1997? I for one would love to have kept the close ties with HK, it was even the number 1 overseas posting for military staff.
It's a common misconception:
Hong Kong was ceded in perpetuity in 1842 as a result of the first Opium War (where at the request of Jardine Matheson Co., Britain invaded China in order to protect Jardine Matheson's right to sell opium there).
Kowloon was ceded in perpetuity in 1860, after the Second Opium War.
Only the New Territories were leased for 99 years at the 1898 Convention of Beijing. The New Territories is the largest part of Hong Kong, as far as land mass goes, but much less densely populated than Hong Kong or Kowloon.
