The whole territory was transferred to China in 1997. As a special administrative region, Hong Kong maintains separate governing and economic systems from that of mainland China under the principle of “one country, two systems”.

The protests began with a sit-in at the government headquarters on 15 March 2019 and a demonstration attended by hundreds of thousands on 9 June 2019, followed by a gathering outside the Legislative Council Complex to stall the bill’s second reading on 12 June.

Universal suffrage is described in Articles 45 and 68 of the Basic Law as the “ultimate aim.” The National People’s Congress, however, issued a decision in April 2004 prohibiting the people of Hong Kong from electing the chief executive in 2007 or the members of the LegCo in 2008 through universal suffrage.

Hong Kong independence movement: Proposed goals: Hong Kong Independence, separation from China.

In January 2017, former Digg CEO Gary Liu became the SCMP’s chief executive officer. Since the change of ownership in 2016, it has been alleged to be on a mission to promote China’s soft power abroad. According to critics, it is moving away from independent journalism and pioneering a new form of “propaganda”.

2015

Leasing Hong Kong 18, 1860, when Britain acquired the southern part of the Kowloon Peninsula and Stonecutters Island (Ngong Shuen Chau).

156 years

The urban area of Hong Kong has the highest population and employment density in the world. The high price of land in Hong Kong also contributes to its high-density development. Those on low and middle incomes, and even some on high incomes, can only afford to live in high-rise buildings.