As Tai_Chung pointed out.
Though to go back, to the 1800s - the UK as an opium dealer wanted to sell to opium addicts in China. The Chinese govt said no, so the UK went to war. The UK won and got HK island in a 99 year lease. This is kind of like if the drug cartels go to war with the US and win and then force the USA to allow them to import drugs AND take Florida in a 99 year lease...
The assumption was that in 1997 China would still be weak. However WWI and II came and the situation changed.
A note - during most of the 99 years, the UK didn’t allow any semblance of democracy in HK - it was only the last governor, in the last few years who put in the democracy setup.
Under Thatcher the UK tried to negotiate an extension to the lease but the Chinese government said No.
BTW, the 99 year lease was over the “New Territories” - the mainland part of HK, while the island itself was occupied by the UK directly, no lease.
But without the New Territories, HK isn’t viable - no fresh water etc.
And the UK realized that giving it to Taiwan or not giving it to China was not viable - a legacy of colonialism surrounded by China? Not possible. So they gave it up.
> the UK as an opium dealer wanted to sell to opium addicts in China. The Chinese govt said no, so the UK went to war. <
Right. Good post yours. A friend of mine - a history teacher - once remarked that the British upper class were the most amoral people in the world. I didn’t argue with him.