No. The Brits had a 99 Yr lease on HK that expired.
“No. The Brits had a 99 Yr lease on HK that expired.”
No.
Hong Kong and Kowloon were ceded forever in early 1800’s.
The 99 year lease was for New Territories, made in 1898.
It was a lease from an extinct imperial dynasty.
The UK mistake was trying to be all polite and sycophantic and bringing up lease renewal of the New Territories with the communists - who did not even hold the lease.
UK never thought the communists would say no, which was stupid. They didn’t have to ask at all.
And, after communists said no, the UK could have said and should have said that as member states in the UN, both nations know placing a colonial holding under another authority without allowing the colony self determination is a violation of the UN charter.
So they couldn’t “return” Hong Kong as that would be illegal under the charter both countries abide by and agree to as founding UN members.
Brits screwed up and then sold out Hong Kong.