Hong Kong Handover Ceremony - ITN Special Programme "Farewell to Hong Kong" (1997)

On 26 September 1984, British and Chinese government agreed on a finalised draft of the Sino-British Joint Declaration. The declaration, signed on 19 December 1984, laid out the terms for the handover of Hong Kong to Chinese governorship after 150 years of British rule. These included the principle of 'one country, two systems' where China would allow Hong Kong a high degree of autonomy and freedoms of assembly, speech and press. However some, including Hong Kong's Democratic Party, feared that the transition would in fact lead to a loss of democracy under the Communist country.
The official transfer of power took place at midnight on 1 July 1997 when Prince Charles joined outgoing Governor, Chris Patten, to watch the Union Jack lowered for the last time.
ITN teams were in Hong Kong in the lead up to and aftermath of the handover.

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