Hong Kong Set for Return: Sino-British Declaration Signed
Deng Xiaoping and Margaret Thatcher signed the Sino-British Joint Declaration in Beijing, formally setting July 1, 1997 as the date for China to resume sovereignty over Hong Kong. This agreement ended decades of British colonial rule and established the "one country, two systems" framework that allowed Hong Kong to retain its distinct legal and economic systems for fifty years after the handover.
December 19, 1984
42 years ago
Key Figures & Places
United Kingdom
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People's Republic of China
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China
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Margaret Thatcher
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Hong Kong
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Beijing
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1997
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Deng Xiaoping
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July 1
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Sino-British Joint Declaration
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Sino-British Joint Declaration
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Deng Xiaoping
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Margaret Thatcher
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Ein Land, zwei Systeme
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China
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British
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Hong Kong
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1997
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