07-04-2017, 12:35 PM
(07-03-2017, 12:37 PM)X_4AD_84 Wrote: While I liked many things Thatcher and Reagan did, the hand over agreement is a bad ugly scar on both of their legacies. Imagine how much easier it would have been to defeat Communist Red China back in the 80s? The arguments given in favor of the agreement went something like the following bullshit:
- If we don't sign the agreement the PRC will try to take HK by force, provoking Great War
- We are confident that over time, the integration of HK combined with Deng Xiao Ping's modernization and liberalization steps will bring Western values and freedom to the PRC.
So, war then vs war in the near future? I would have gladly taken war 30 years ago instead of now or the near future. As for "we will show them our love and gradually make them free".... BWAAAAAAHAAAAAA HAAAAA!!!!
This doesn't accurately represent the situation at the time. The British lease on Hong Kong was in perpetuity, but the New Territories lease was expiring. With the New Territories set to return to Chinese control, Hong Kong was no longer going to be a viable independent city, because they didn't have any water sources outside of the New Territories. The alternative to returning Hong Kong was to evacuate it and keep it as a virtually uninhabited lump of rock.
China did adopt western liberal economic free market values. I don't think we ever expected them to adopt liberal democracy. Of the two, free market values are the more important form of freedom.
