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A Decade Hence : A Retrospect of the Hong Kong Handover

A major historical event took place just three years before the turn of the millennium . This was Hong Kong 's handover to the Chinese government after some one hundred and fifty years of British colonial rule . Decade hence , the question that begs to be answered is did China handle Hong Kong well as indicated by the economic and political situation of the territory ? My position is that China did a good job in the sense that they did not do harm to Hong

Kong and was able to preserve the liberal economic and political spirit of the place

For most locals , the handover was a source of anxiety , and rightfully so , because for generations , the British were the only rulers that Hong Kong citizens ever knew . While most of the locals like me are of Chinese descent , our way of life was very different from life in mainland China And this way of life is something that can very difficult to give up or change

This concern among the Hong Kong people is not altogether unfounded especially in light of the fact that China has long been under a Communist system while Hong Kong is known for its free market economy How can you possibly reconcile two very different systems without one side suffering any loss ? It is only natural for the local Hong Kong community to worry whether the handover signifies the end of their democratic way of life

As it is , the discussion whether Hong Kong should have been given back to Hong Kong is null and void . As such , this does not intend to resurrect that issue . Hong Kong is now ruled by China , and the more important issue now is whether China has been making good on their promise to maintain Hong Kong 's status quo as a progressive and dynamic leader in Asia 's economy

It has not been that long ago , and indeed a decade is too short to gauge whether Hong Kong is better or worse from the handover . Such things are better left for history to judge . But after reaching this milestone Hong Kong needs to stop , look back , and evaluate itself . This evaluation is done not so much as to judge who is the better government , but to check whether China has lived up to its promise of keeping the prevailing situation in Hong Kong intact , and whether the policies and changes that the handover has brought has been beneficial to the people of Hong Kong

This aims to look at the changes , if any , that have taken place since the handover , and hopefully from there , be able to glean how these changes have affected Hong Kong for better or for worse , particularly in the economic and political aspect of the place . And from there , be able to prove that China 's rule over Hong Kong has been exceeding the expectations that it will fail in the endeavor

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