Treaty for a Lost City
The Sino-British Joint Declaration

Uses declassified archival records to analyse the legal and contemporary circumstances surrounding the 1984 Sino-British Joint Declaration.

C. L. Lim (Author)

9781108972307, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 11 August 2022

300 pages
22.7 x 15 x 1.6 cm, 0.46 kg

This is an important book which vividly illuminates the bargaining process that shaped the Sino British Joint Declaration. It gives full play to Chinese arguments about the Treaty and proposes an original counterpoint to the liberal argument about Hong Kong's constitutional identity. Treaty for a Lost City is an essential resource for people who wish to explore the debate about Hong Kong's constitutional treaty; or who wish to understand what Hong Kong has become. Ewan Smith, Christ Church, Oxford

The Sino-British Joint Declaration was signed in 1984 and transferred control of Hong Kong to the People's Republic of China from the 1st July 1997. This sets the scene for the establishment of the Special Administrative Region (SAR) in Hong Kong, which has been at the heart of the civil unrest in 2019-2020, culminating in the National Security Law on 30 June 2020. In the 25th anniversary year of the handover of Hong Kong, C. L. Lim uses British archival sources to re-examine the Joint Declaration, the negotiations that led up to it, and its resounding significance that continues to the present day. Beginning with Margaret Thatcher's preparations for her Beijing trip, the book takes a chronological approach and offers a valuable, single-volume history of the Joint Declaration. In light of tumultuous current events in Hong Kong, Lim provides a vital, clear explanation of the legal complexities that have underpinned the relationships between China, Hong Kong and Britain since 1979.

Part I. 1982-1997
Introduction to Part I.
1. Negotiations commence
2. The Joint Declaration
3. Twilight of Colonial Rule, Democratic Reform, the Basic Law and Bill of Rights: 1984-1997
Part II. 1997-2014
Introduction to Part II.
4. The Court and the Canaries in a storm
5. Foreign treaty relations
6. Acts of state, foreign affairs, defence
7. Demos
Part III. 2014-2021
8. Patriotism, comprehensive jurisdiction, formal allegiance: 2014-2017
9. Fundamental rights and the 2019 Extradition Bill
10. The 2020 National Security Law
11. Aftermath.

Subject Areas: Diplomatic law [LBBD], Public international law [LBB], International relations [JPS], Politics & government [JP], Asian history [HBJF]