Preserving the American interest in Hong Kong after 1997

Abstract

On 01, July, 1997, Hong Kong will revert back from British rule to Chinese sovereignty, becoming a Special Administrative Region (SAR) under the Central people's Government of the People's Republic of China. The United States and its citizens have a a tremendous investment in the British colony that could be placed at risk by the change in sovereignty. This thesis reviews the development of United States' interest in the colony and defines the current interests in the colony. The retrocession developments are then examined as are the current attempts to modify the Basic Law of miniconstitution for Hong Kong. Alternative scenarios are suggested for post- 1997 1 long Kong. The thesis is optimistic about the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and about the United States' ability to continue its involvement in and with China, to include Hong Kong