Chapter 284: Hong Kong is in turmoil

I don't know what happened, these rich people one by one found people they were familiar with or had good relations with in the government to ask about the situation, but unexpectedly, those dignitaries were also confused about this time, especially the Chinese in the government, they also had the same attitude as themselves, and they did not know anything about this matter.

Old man Huo was also very surprised when he received a big operation from the Royal Hong Kong Police, but he hadn't heard anything about anything in Hong Kong. But now is not the time to think about this, what he is most worried about now is Lin Yu's safety, the royal police are all dispatched, it seems that something big should happen, Old Man Huo doesn't want Lin Yu to have an accident.

"Hurry up and let Xianqiang Xiaoyu and them come back, and let them not stay outside." Old Man Huo thought for a while and said.

After that, he sat down and didn't know what he was thinking.

After thinking about it, Old Man Huo still dialed a phone call.

"Sir Youde, how are you doing lately?" As soon as the phone was connected, Old Man Huo asked with a smile.

Sir Edward Youde, a veteran British diplomat in Hong Kong, is well versed in China affairs and was the British ambassador to China. During the civil war between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party, Youde made meritorious contributions to the "Purple Quartz Incident" and was later awarded the Order by the British Court in 1949. In 1982, Edward Youde was appointed as the 26th Governor of Hong Kong, succeeding Sir MacLehose. During his tenure, he witnessed the signing of the Sino-British Joint Declaration between China and the UK in 1984.

When Youde became governor of Hong Kong, the heads of state of China and Britain held talks in 1982 about the future of Hong Kong. At the beginning of the talks, British Prime Minister Dame de Zrow took a firm stance, clearly emphasizing that the Treaties of Nanjing, Beijing and the Treaty on the Extension of Hong Kong's Boundary are still in force. However, China's position is just as tough, and in addition to its unwillingness to compromise, it has also stated that it will definitely take back Hong Kong's sovereignty.

On several occasions, Youde led members of the two bureaux to the United Kingdom to discuss the future with the British authorities. On one occasion, on 30 June 1983, he led nine members of the Executive Council to London and met with Mrs. De Zall on 4 July. After returning to Hong Kong on July 7, Youde and his entourage held a press conference, during which they announced the list of members of the British delegation to the upcoming Sino-British negotiations. Youde was included and was second on the list of members. When asked by a reporter who represented Youde in the negotiations, Youde said that he was "participating in the negotiations on behalf of the people of Hong Kong in his capacity as the Governor of Hong Kong." The incident immediately aroused widespread discussion. The next day, on July 8, a spokesman for China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, "The talks between China and the UK on the Hong Kong issue are bilateral talks between the Chinese and British governments. Mr. Youde was a member of the British Government delegation and therefore he represented only the British Government in the talks", with the result that the British Foreign Office soon clarified that Youde was "of course a member of the British delegation".

In July 1983, the Chinese and British delegations formally commenced negotiations on the future of Hong Kong. However, the failure to reach consensus and progress in the negotiations during this period has shaken the confidence of the Hong Kong people and triggered a crisis of confidence. In September 1983, affected by the deadlock in the negotiations between China and the United Kingdom, the Hong Kong stock market crashed, the Hong Kong dollar depreciated sharply, and once fell to a record low of 9.6 Hong Kong dollars to 1 US dollar. Subsequently, on 15 October, the Hong Kong Government announced the implementation of the Linked Exchange Rate System, pegged to the US dollar at an exchange rate of HK$7.80 to US$1, in order to maintain the stability of the Hong Kong dollar.

Although the exchange rate of the Hong Kong dollar has stabilized, Hong Kong people remain worried about the future of Hong Kong. In January 1984, the Hong Kong government approved higher taxi licence fees and first registration taxis, resulting in a large number of taxi drivers gathering in Kowloon City, causing minor riots. Subsequently, on 28 March of the same year, the British-owned Jardine Matheson announced that it would re-register its head office from Hong Kong to Bermuda, which was regarded by all sectors of society as the intention of the British to withdraw its investment, and as a result, they were even more worried about the future of Hong Kong.

As mentioned above, in mid-1984, the British side began to soften its stance and said that it would relinquish its sovereignty and jurisdiction over Hong Kong in 1997, and there was significant progress in the Sino-British negotiations. Finally, on 18 December 1984, the two sides finally signed the Sino-British Joint Declaration, confirming that Britain had transferred sovereignty over Hong Kong to the People's Republic of China on 1 July 1997. Hong Kong has thus entered a so-called "transition period". During the "transitional period", in order to appease the people, Youde proposed the construction of a second cross-harbour tunnel connecting Hong Kong Island and the Kowloon Peninsula, and the construction of a light rail link from Tuen Mun to Yuen Long. On 26 September 1985, he implemented the Green Paper on Representative Government, which elected 24 seats in the Legislative Council election.

However, Hong Kong people's confidence in Hong Kong has not been restored because of the brighter future. On the contrary, after the signing of the Sino-British Joint Declaration, many Hong Kong people learned that the British government had no intention of granting British passports and the right of abode to Hong Kong people, and they were also worried about China's governance of Hong Kong, which triggered a large-scale immigration wave in Hong Kong. At that time, citizens who could afford to do so chose to apply for immigration to the United States, Canada, and Australia, but because the Hong Kong government was worried about causing panic, Youde was reluctant to release the exact immigration figures. In addition, small countries such as Fiji, Bolivia and Belize have set up offices in Hong Kong in an attempt to attract investment immigrants. The flow of migrants continued thereafter, and it was only on the eve of the return of sovereignty that there was a slight "return".

All in all, if this Sir Youde stands on the side of the British, this Hong Kong governor is quite competent, but if he puts it on the position of the Chinese side and the people of Hong Kong, it is a bit dereliction of duty.

"Huo Sheng, you haven't invited me to tea for a long time." Sir Youde laughed.

"Sir didn't say that I forgot, I really want to invite you to tea, recently the grandson of an old friend of mine came to my place as a guest, and brought me a little good tea, Sir must not have drunk it, I will make a pot for Sir when the time comes." Old Man Huo said with a smile.

"Say, what's the matter? You old man has nothing to do but go to the Three Treasures Palace. Sir Youde said with a smile.

"Or does Sir know about me, to be honest, I'm very puzzled by Hong Kong's action today, I don't know what's going on?" Old Man Huo asked with some confusion.

"I'll ask about it when I know it." Sir Youde said with a smile, and then suddenly changed his tone and said, "Don't say it's you, even I don't know what the hell is going on. ”

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