At midnight on June 30, 1997, the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center was brightly lit, just like daylight. The handover ceremony of the Hong Kong regime between the Chinese and British governments was grandly held here, attracting global attention.

At midnight on June 30, 1997, the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center was brightly lit like daylight. The handover ceremony of the Hong Kong regime between the Chinese and British governments was grandly held here, attracting global attention.

At midnight on July 1st, under the loud singing of the national anthem of the People's Republic of China , the national flag of the People's Republic of China and the regional flag of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region were flying high in the sky over Hong Kong. The wanderer who had left the motherland's arms for a hundred years finally returned home. , at that moment, the whole country was in an uproar, with people cheering, hugging, and crying...

Since then, Hong Kong has transformed from a single bridge from the world into China to one of the transit points for China to the world. Hong Kong has truly transformed from "British Hong Kong" Becoming China's Hong Kong, the more profound changes will be in the ideological field. The great national policy of " one country, two systems " will be thoroughly integrated into the consciousness of Hong Kong citizens. Hong Kong will work hard with the mainland to realize the Chinese dream .

"Long-term plan, make full use of it" - the unspeakable tacit understanding between China and Britain

On July 1, 1997, Hong Kong finally returned to the motherland, and on December 20, 1999, Macau returned to the embrace of the motherland. So far, China has completely taken back the territory occupied by the foreign powers. land. At this time, Hong Kong and Macao had been occupied by Western powers for a hundred years, and it had been half a century since the founding of New China.

Among the many issues in studying the Hong Kong issue, one question has always been of interest to scholars, that is, Why did the People's Liberation Army not pursue victory to take back Hong Kong after liberating mainland China in 1949?

At that time, the fifth column of the Fourth Field Army of the Chinese People's Liberation Army marched south after liberating Guangzhou. Chen Bing Shenzhen River was already ready to liberate Hong Kong. The British army on the other side was also panicked and prepared to fight. Seeing that the war was about to break out. , at this moment, Beijing issued an order to "temporarily move" to . Since then, it took nearly half a century for the Hong Kong issue to be completely resolved. What's the inside story?

The first thing that must be made clear is that "temporary immobility" does not mean abandoning Hong Kong, nor does it mean "the Chinese People's Liberation Army is incapable of regaining Hong Kong" as propagated in Western public opinion. In fact, in the early days of the founding of New China, the total strength of the People's Liberation Army reached an astonishing 5.5 million people. Moreover, this army had experienced the War of Resistance Against Japan and the War of Liberation. It was a force with a tenacious fighting will, rich combat experience, and An invincible master with extraordinary abilities. It is not a problem to dispatch such a force to liberate Hong Kong.

Then why did New China not use force to expel the Western powers?

As early as before the founding ceremony of the People's Republic of China, the "Common Program of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference" drafted by China mentioned that various unequal treaties with the Qing government and the Republic of China government were invalid. If China does not recognize it, it will abolish all :

The central government of the People's Republic of China should review the various treaties and agreements signed by the old Chinese government and foreign governments and recognize, abrogate, modify, or reschedule them according to their contents. .

Theoretically, the three treaties signed with Hong Kong's sovereignty, the "Nanjing Treaty", the "Beijing Treaty" and the "Special Treaty on Expanding the Boundary Site of Hong Kong" are all invalid, and the so-called legal basis of the UK has become empty talk. But in reality, taking back Hong Kong by force was a premature decision at the time in order to make long-term plans for the newly founded New China.

Therefore, after careful consideration, Chairman Mao finally issued the order to "not take back the status quo" of and . In fact, this decision was not a hasty decision made on the eve of the founding of New China. As early as January 1949, The Central Committee of the Communist Party of China has comprehensively elaborated on this idea:

"In principle, the privileges of imperialism in China must be abolished, and the independence and liberation of the Chinese nation must be realized. This position is unswerving. However, in terms of implementation steps, , they should be dealt with separately according to the nature and circumstances of the issues... In short, in terms of diplomatic work, we should have a good grasp of principles and flexibility so that we can stand firm and be flexible."

html When Mikoyan, a member of the Political Bureau of the Soviet Union, went to Xibaipo to meet with Chairman Mao in February, Chairman Mao already had certain ideas on the Hong Kong and Macao issue. In the record of the meeting between the two, Chairman Mao mentioned:

" At present, half of the territory has not yet been liberated. Things on the mainland are easier to handle. Just send the troops there. Things on the islands are more complicated and require a peaceful transition, which will take more time. Under such circumstances, it does not make much sense to rush to solve the problems of Hong Kong and Macau. On the contrary, I am afraid that using the original status of these two places, especially Hong Kong, will be more beneficial to us in developing overseas relations import and export trade . In short, we must make the final decision based on the development of the situation."

In Chairman Mao's discussion From the above quote, we can clearly understand the reason for issuing the "temporary immobility" order:

First of all, New China solemnly announced to the world the abolition of all unequal treaties, which is to tell the Western powers that Hong Kong's sovereignty has been guaranteed since ancient times. There is no doubt that it belongs to China.

In addition, Premier Zhou also said in 1951:

“We have decided not to liberate Hong Kong before the liberation of the whole country. "

Secondly, New China has just been established, and the economy is in urgent need of recovery. Retaking Hong Kong by force will not be conducive to Hong Kong's peace and stability. However, if we want to achieve a peaceful transition in Hong Kong, the time is not yet mature, which means we need to make longer-term plans. .

Finally, Hong Kong has a special status. New China should use it as a window for communication with the world to carry out overseas economic and trade, which is more conducive to the development of New China and more in line with the development needs of the time.

Therefore, the central government finally decided to temporarily. Maintain the status quo of Hong Kong and put it in the hands of the British. After the founding of New China, the United Kingdom refused to follow the United States and other Western powers and became the first Western country to recognize New China.

In this regard, Premier Zhou said that this It is our strategic consideration:

"Our policy towards Hong Kong is part of the overall strategic plan for the struggle between the East and the West. Not taking back Hong Kong and maintaining its capitalist British occupation cannot be based on the narrow principle of territorial sovereignty. To weigh and make decisions. We have decided not to liberate Hong Kong before the liberation of the whole country. Our long-term global strategy is not weakness or compromise, but a proactive attack and struggle. "

Unlike the United States, which has an "openly hostile" attitude toward "the Chinese Communist Party's victory in the civil war ," for the United Kingdom, which has a trade value of more than 300 million pounds in the Chinese market every year, losing the Chinese market is huge. It is precisely because of this consideration that during the War of Liberation in China, the United Kingdom basically maintained a "non-interference" and "not taking sides" stance, and the Communist Party of China's "flexible" handling of the Hong Kong issue also set the stage for the next two years. The development of relations between the two countries provides "strategic space" .

Therefore, when the victory of the Chinese Communist Party in the liberation war became clear, the United Kingdom also realized the necessity of "showing goodwill" to New China in various ways. During the consideration, the tacit understanding between China and Britain in dealing with the Hong Kong issue gradually emerged, using Hong Kong to create a breakthrough in the encirclement of New China by Western countries led by the United States. Therefore, "long-term plan to make full use of" the The strategy well balanced the interests of both parties at the time.

"The issue of sovereignty is not an issue that can be discussed" - China's resolute attitude.

For a long time after the founding of New China, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and Chairman Mao were dealing with the Hong Kong issue. Always keep a low profile, be cautious, and insist on "maintaining the status quo." In 1954, before the British delegation visited China, Premier Zhou clearly instructed at the preparatory meeting:

"Don't talk about immature issues, such as the Hong Kong issue. ...As for whether we want to regain Hong Kong and how to regain it, the government has not yet considered it, so we don’t want to talk about it. "

At the same time, Premier Zhou also informed the British guests who came to China that China's attitude is consistent:

"If we need to solve it, we have to negotiate with you, and we will not take sudden action."

In 1959, faced with some internal impatience on the Hong Kong issue, Chairman Mao emphasized:

"It is better not to take back Hong Kong for the time being. We are not in a hurry. It is still useful to me at the moment. "

In 1972, after the complete normalization of Sino-British diplomatic relations, based on the development of the situation and the actual situation, China once again stated "Don't rush into this matter (Hong Kong issue)."

In 1974, former British Prime Minister Edward Heath When visiting China, Chairman Mao, accompanied by Premier Zhou and Deng Xiaoping, met with him at Zhongnanhai. During the meeting, Chairman Mao was the first to mention the Hong Kong issue. He said:

"Hong Kong is an Asian trade and financial center under British management. , its position is secure, at least for now. There is only one Hong Kong issue left between us, and we won’t discuss it now. "

Then, Chairman Mao asked Premier Zhou: "How many years are there? "

Premier Zhou was well prepared. He replied: "" was leased to them in 1898. The lease period was 99 years. It expired in 1997. There are still 23 years left until now.

After hearing this answer, Chairman Mao sighed slightly, pointed at Premier Zhou, and said: "We can't see it anymore. This is a matter for young people. Let them (Deng Xiaoping) solve it." "

In 1976, Premier Zhou and Chairman Mao passed away one after another, and the burden of completely solving the Hong Kong problem really fell on Deng Xiaoping.

In 1978, the British, who had long been unable to restrain themselves, began to test China's attitude. MacLehose, then the Governor of Hong Kong At a banquet, the president of the Hong Kong branch of Xinhua News Agency was publicly asked:

"1997 is coming soon, what should we do with the New Territories Lease Agreement?" I hope the Chinese side can make a positive statement so that investors can rest assured. "

A simple sentence, but it hides a mystery. The seemingly far-off New Territories lease period has only 19 years left in the blink of an eye. How will the Hong Kong problem be solved and in what way will it be solved? The British are beginning to worry.

In this regard, Deng Xiaoping was very clear that the time to solve the Hong Kong problem has come: "Although 19 years is not a short time, for foreign investors, this issue must be considered. If they want to continue investing in Hong Kong, they must Let them rest assured that this issue should be studied. "

On September 22, 1982, a Royal Air Force special plane landed at Beijing Capital Airport . The door opened, British Prime Minister Mrs. Thatcher slowly walked down the aircraft ramp, and came to greet her. Chinese officials shook hands one by one. This is her second visit to China. The purpose of this trip to China is to solve the Hong Kong issue. It is worth mentioning that Mrs. Thatcher went to China for negotiations this time with the goal of winning the war between Malaysia and China. On the afternoon of September 24, Mrs. Thatcher entered the Xinjiang Hall of the Great Hall of the People. After a brief exchange with Comrade Deng Yingchao, under the arrangement of the staff, she officially went to the Fujian Hall to hold talks with Deng Xiaoping. .

As soon as the meeting began, Mrs. Thatcher got straight to the point and mentioned the Hong Kong issue: "The three previously signed treaties on Hong Kong are facts that no one can erase. These treaties must be abided by if China takes back Hong Kong. , will destroy Hong Kong's peace and prosperity, and bring unimaginable disastrous consequences to Hong Kong. "

In this regard, Deng Xiaoping said: "Hong Kong is China's territory, and we must take it back. If it is not taken back, it means that the Chinese government is the late Qing government and the leader of China is Li Hongzhang . "

Immediately afterwards, Deng Xiaoping emphasized:

"As for the issue of sovereignty, China has no room for maneuver on this issue. Frankly speaking, the issue of sovereignty is not an issue that can be discussed. Now that the time has come, it should be clearly affirmed: China will take back Hong Kong in 1997... Now, of course not today, but no later than one or two years later, China will officially announce its decision to take back Hong Kong. We can wait another year or two for the announcement, but we certainly can’t delay it much longer."

At the same time, Deng Xiaoping changed the topic and expressed his hope to cooperate with Britain on the Hong Kong issue. Before the end of the talks, Deng Xiaoping's last words made Mrs. Thatcher realize China's firm determination to take back Hong Kong.

"If China and Britain If the two sides cannot reach an agreement at all, then China will have to reconsider the time and method of regaining Hong Kong. "

Although she was already panicking, Mrs. Thatcher still pretended to be calm and walked out of the Great Hall of the People. Unfortunately, when she was going down the steps, Mrs. Thatcher accidentally missed her foot and fell to the ground. , even the staff members were shocked. However, after all, she was a person who had seen big scenes. After getting up, Mrs. Thatcher still smiled gracefully at the camera, and then left again. He went to the Great Hall of the People to participate in negotiations with confidence, but fell down when leaving. From these two contrasting actions, we can see that China is destined to be the victor in the future game of Hong Kong issues.

《中文字幕》 The British Joint Declaration was the final word, and the British army was ready to move on the eve of the return

On December 19, 1984, after two years and a total of 22 rounds of negotiations, the two sides signed the "Sino-British Joint Declaration". In July 1997 From May 1, 1985, China will resume sovereignty and governance over Hong Kong. On May 27, 1985, Hong Kong entered a 12-year transition period before China resumed the exercise of sovereignty.

As the countdown begins for Hong Kong to officially return to the embrace of the motherland, Although the United Kingdom has signed relevant treaties, its ambitions are still brewing. On June 25, 1997, dozens of British warships sailed towards the South China Sea. It was an important moment for Hong Kong to return to China, and China had no intention of causing trouble. , but the behavior of the British military was so egregious that it seriously threatened China's national security and was a naked provocation to our country's sovereignty.

In response, the Chinese Navy received orders from its superiors to go to the boundaries of the South China Sea and the high seas to carry out this task. It was the guided missile frigate "Yibin". Seeing the British warship entering China's territorial waters, the Yibin immediately issued a warning:

"Attention, this is Chinese waters. I am the Chinese Navy. You are about to enter China's territorial waters and infringe on China's territorial waters. Please leave immediately. ! Please leave immediately! "

However, the British army ignored the warning of the Chinese Navy and continued to provoke. They even sent a helicopter for reconnaissance to test the Chinese Navy's attitude. In response, the Chinese Navy immediately prepared for battle, and two British warships rushed towards the Yibin. Coming over, the soldier immediately reported the situation to the captain and asked: "Do you want to avoid it?" "

At the critical moment, the captain said firmly: "Avoid? Behind us is the motherland. To avoid it now is treason. There is no need to avoid it. If you dare to collide, just give it a try. Whoever you are is afraid of. "

Hearing the captain's loud response, the soldiers on the Yibin were all in high spirits, straightened their backs, and were ready to die together with the enemy.

Sure enough, at the end of the day when the British army reached the extreme distance However, it adjusted its course at the critical moment and had no choice but to leave China's territorial waters. In the following days, the British warships continued to provoke and repeated their previous actions until July 1. In fact, everyone knew that the British purpose was nothing more than to attack Hong Kong. Create a little conflict before the return to highlight your strength and regain some face.

In addition, there were also accidents at the Hong Kong return ceremony in order to let the five-star red flag fly at midnight on July 1, 1997. In the sky above Hong Kong, there are extremely strict time limits for every aspect of the handover ceremony.

At that time, during the Hong Kong handover ceremony that attracted worldwide attention, the hundreds of millions of viewers watching the handover ceremony on TV never expected that there would be waves. The scene of Bu Jing's return was actually an undercurrent. It was a back-and-forth showdown between China and Britain. When Prince Charles of the United Kingdom spoke, the time limit exceeded the 23 seconds originally set, which meant that the Chinese national flag was faced with a dilemma. Possibility of rising on time.

In more than two years of difficult negotiations, China has already seen the British tricks. Chinese personnel have already made preparation plans for possible changes in the Hong Kong handover ceremony. After receiving the instructions, the master of ceremonies on the stage accelerated The pace of speeches, flag bearers and honor guards also moved faster than usual. At 23:59 on June 30, the British flag slowly lowered, marking the end of the century-long British rule in Hong Kong. At 0:00 on July 1st, the "March of the Volunteers" sounded, and the Chinese national flag and the Hong Kong regional flag flew over Hong Kong. The wanderers who had been wandering for hundreds of years and experienced vicissitudes of life finally returned to the embrace of their motherland. Hong Kong compatriots truly became the owner of this land.

Hong Kong's return not only allows the world to see China's increasingly powerful national strength, but more importantly, it provides an example for other countries or regions in the world to solve such problems. This year marks the 25th anniversary of Hong Kong's return to the motherland. Looking at the original game over the Hong Kong issue from today, I can still feel the tension and excitement at that time.