Since ancient times, Hong Kong has been The territory of China, but because of some historical reasons in modern times, after the founding of New China, the Hong Kong area was still controlled by the British colonial government.
New China does not recognize all unequal treaties signed in the past, so we have a reason to liberate Hong Kong, and the heroic and fearless People's Liberation Army is fully capable of achieving this goal.
However, the far-sighted Chairman Mao decided not to recover Hong Kong for the time being, making Hong Kong a window for New China's foreign countries.
Figure | Chairman Mao pondering in front of the map (old photo)
Facts have proved that Chairman Mao's decision was extremely correct.
Because of the existence of Hong Kong, a far eastern port, during the period of economic blockade of the mainland by Western countries, Hong Kong became a super-large material transit place between the mainland and the outside world, which played a huge role in the economic construction of the mainland.
However, everything has a two-sided nature, at the beginning of the founding of New China, there was no single blow to take Hong Kong, and after a few decades, it was obviously extremely difficult to recover it.
During his lifetime, Chairman Mao said that the settlement of the Hong Kong problem should be resolved in 1997 at the latest – exactly 99 years after the Loan to the British in 1898.
Chairman Mao also smiled and pointed to the guests to Comrade Xiaoping and others, saying: "The specific matters are handled by their young people." ”
Photo| Comrade Deng Xiaoping speaking at the Third Plenary Session of the Tenth Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (old photo)
In July 1977, Comrade Xiaoping was reinstated to all his posts at the Third Plenary Session of the Tenth Central Committee, and he pointed out:
"We must have a complete and accurate understanding of Mao Zedong Thought, and we must be good at studying, mastering, and applying the system of Mao Zedong Thought to guide our work... The mass line and seeking truth from facts are the two most fundamental things. ”
After a year of thinking and deepening, finally at the Third Plenary Session of the Eleventh Central Committee in December 1978, Comrade Xiaoping delivered such an inspiring speech - the theme was "Emancipating the Mind, Seeking Truth from Facts, Unity and Looking Forward".
It is precisely on the basis of this that there was reform and opening up, the later "one country, two systems" plan, and the political basis and prerequisite for recovering Hong Kong.
After all, Hong Kong has been in British hands for many years, and under their control, although hong Kong people have been oppressed a lot, they are also protected and supported by them, and have better living conditions than the mainland.
The Hong Kong we want to recover is a Hong Kong that is sincerely willing to return, not just a return to the regime, but also the return of people's hearts.
Therefore, only when the mainland becomes stronger, can provide a better living condition for the Hong Kong people, and recognize some of the existing rules in Hong Kong in the system, can it win the sincere recognition of the Hong Kong people, and can the reasons relied on by the British side be broken with the attack.
However, from the beginning of 1982 to the return of Hong Kong to the motherland in 1997, all kinds of developments in the middle were really big turbulence and small twists and turns.
Comrade Xiaoping can be said to have broken his heart here, and even this old man with a very good temper is rarely angry.
This article takes you into the journey to recover Hong Kong and see how bold Comrade Xiaoping, as the core of the second-generation leadership team, has in the face of this mission.
Photo | Comrade Deng Xiaoping (old photo)
After the promulgation of the "one country, two systems" policy, the recovery of Hong Kong officially began, and according to the "Special Article on Expanding Hong Kong Boundary Sites" signed in 1898, Hong Kong will be returned to China by the British government on June 30, 1997, and our side will formally exercise sovereignty on July 1.
Seeing that the time was getting closer and closer, the central leading body, under the leadership of Comrade Xiaoping, vowed to finalize this matter as soon as possible in the shortest possible time, otherwise it would be their dereliction of duty.
I can't help but say what Chairman Mao had expected, and I can't explain it to the chinese people and those ancestors who have passed away.
China wants to recover Hong Kong, of course, the British are not willing, they have been operating for so many years, in Hong Kong to grab unimaginable benefits, to let them give up such a large piece of cake, this naturally needs a difficult competition.
Under the leadership of the "Iron Lady" Margaret Thatcher, the British authorities were very arrogant, claiming that the sovereignty of Hong Kong would always belong to them on the grounds of the unequal treaty signed with the Qing government, in order to resist China's recovery.
Photo| Xiaoping meets with British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing (old photo)
In September 1982, Margaret Thatcher came to Beijing in a furious manner, hoping to carry the victory in the Falklands War and take the next city on the issue of Hong Kong's sovereignty.
The "Iron Lady" did not expect that she was about to face a "giant" who had undergone countless blood and fire tempering and countless political tempering, and all her means were only in vain in front of Comrade Xiaoping, the "giant".
The first card played by Margaret Thatcher was "the treaty is still valid", and Comrade Xiaoping did not budge.
He first pointed out that this negotiation should not only resolve the issue of Hong Kong's return to the motherland, but also negotiate and solve the two issues of how to let Hong Kong continue to prosper after the return of Hong Kong in 1997, and how China and Britain should not have major fluctuations in the 15 years between now and 1997.
Comrade Xiaoping said with an incomparably tough attitude that it was indisputable to take back Hong Kong in 1997.
There is nothing to talk about on this issue, it is the mission that history has given to the present Chinese, and we must accomplish it, even if we take some unnecessary measures to do so.
Photo| Thatcher and Deng Xiaoping hold talks in Beijing on September 24, 1982 (old photo)
After the first card was invalid, Margaret Thatcher played another one, citing Hong Kong's prosperity as an excuse: "If China takes back Hong Kong, it will have a disastrous impact on Hong Kong." If Hong Kong's prosperity is to continue, it must be managed by Britain. ”
In Thatcher's view, Hong Kong's current prosperity is entirely due to Britain's efficient management.
Just like the mainland at that time, it was a corner away from Hong Kong, but the actual economic situation was very different.
The British side believes that if Hong Kong is recovered by the mainland, Hong Kong may decline rapidly and cannot maintain its current prosperity.
At first glance, Margaret Thatcher's ideas seem to have some truth, but when you think about it, you suddenly feel that it is all sophistry.
Photo| Margaret Thatcher speaking (old photo)
First, New China is not the Qing government of the past, we have a strong force of self-defense and a development concept that advances with the times;
Second, the reason why Hong Kong is strong, the British management philosophy is part of it, but more because of Hong Kong's geographical advantages, the efforts of the Hong Kong people, and the continuous support of the mainland;
Third, after the implementation of China's reform and opening up, the rapid economic development can provide Hong Kong with a better development background in the future;
Fourth, the introduction of "one country, two systems" has given us more room to play and can maintain Hong Kong's current prosperity relatively stably, just to restore sovereignty.
Comrade Xiaoping is the leader of all this, and he naturally knows it very well, and has insight into that Margaret Thatcher's remarks are ostensibly for the good of Hong Kong, but in essence they are nothing more than seizing Hong Kong's sovereignty and governing power.
Photo | Xiaoping reading a document (old photo)
He slowed his tone slightly and said in a gentle manner: "As Madame said, if China takes back Hong Kong, it will have a disastrous impact, then we must bravely face this disaster and make decisions." ”
Margaret Thatcher then found some excuses to entangle hong Kong sovereignty, which made Comrade Xiaoping a little unhappy, and he once again strongly demonstrated the Chinese government's determination to recover Hong Kong:
"On the issue of sovereignty, China has no room for manoeuvre on this issue. Frankly, the issue of sovereignty is not an issue that can be discussed. Now that the time is ripe, it should be clearly affirmed that in 1997 China will take back Hong Kong..."
After some confrontation, all the reasons for Thatcher's self-confidence were dissolved one by one by Comrade Xiaoping in laughter and anger.
Photo| Comrade Xiaoping reading a document
China's recovery of Hong Kong is no longer a question, but in what way and at what time, this is what china and the UK want to negotiate next.
The reason why Comrade Xiaoping wanted to talk so early is to hope that the two sides can have sufficient time to contact each other and seek more benefits for Hong Kong's development as much as possible, and hope that unnecessary conflicts will not arise between China and Britain.
Mrs. Thatcher naturally knew that Comrade Xiaoping's every sentence carried a taste of iron blood, which was a self-righteous existence that she had thought of, but she did not think that the other party had perfected the situation, and she was really a mistake.
When the negotiations between the two were over, when Margaret Thatcher walked out of the Great Hall of the People, because her mood had not yet calmed down, she stumbled and fell down the stairs, and this scene was also recorded by journalist friends and became a major hot event in the media at that time.
Pictured | Margaret Thatcher falls on the steps of the Great Hall of the People (old photo)
On the Hong Kong issue, China and the United Kingdom held a total of 22 rounds of consultations and negotiations, and comrade Xiaoping participated in the first seven rounds, thinking of making a breakthrough in a short period of time.
Since in the first seven rounds, the British were almost disgraced and did not obtain any conditions favorable to Britain, they were not willing to fail.
In the eighth round, the British replaced the negotiators and replaced the original Collida with Evans, hoping to reverse the unfavorable situation, and we also made changes, changing the negotiators from Yao Guang to Zhou Nan and continuing to fight with the British.
In fact, whether the representatives of the two sides change or not, China will not make any concessions on the issue of sovereignty.
It was only in the details of the process that there were many issues to be fought for, and it was only in order for Hong Kong's return in 1997 to be more complete and unwilling to let Britain gain the upper hand, that we followed suit with a change of negotiators.
Photo| Former Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Zhou Nan (old photo)
After the replacement of negotiators, in the eighth negotiation, the British still made a disgrace, which made them realize that it was impossible to profit from the negotiating field, so they moved their minds to other aspects.
No, since the ninth negotiation, the British side has deliberately misinterpreted each of our proposals into a negative meaning, and then extended to the level of threatening Hong Kong's prosperity.
In the face of this operation, we naturally see the tricks and tricks, do not let go, and the other party may change their faces at any time, after one or two times, we also have the corresponding psychological preparations, the British side is already difficult to make any moths.
And all this is because of comrade Xiaoping's words: "Chinese is a little poor, but I am not afraid of death!" ”
Since we are ready to retake Hong Kong by force, we are not afraid that the other side will not comply.
Photo | Comrade Deng Xiaoping and Qu Wu, leader of the Central Committee of the Revolutionary Committee of the Chinese Kuomintang, shake hands cordially (old photo)
After all, for decades, China has made a lot of preparations for the future recovery of Hong Kong.
Such as controlling Hong Kong's water supply system and electricity system, controlling Hong Kong's food and vegetable supply, and many other aspects.
If the mainland really makes up its mind, even if the People's Liberation Army does not move a single shot, under the pressure of the survival of the Hong Kong people, britain will have to obediently obey.
Therefore, our side did not hurry to accompany the British side to continue to fight on the "lips", and continued to talk round by round, suppressing the British side's improper attempts step by step, and by the beginning of 1984, the British side was already a little overwhelmed.
Seeing victory in sight, everyone was thrilled.
At that time, the Sino-British struggle for Hong Kong's sovereignty attracted the attention of all parties, and at the same time, due to the uproar caused by reform and opening up, many foreign media paid great attention to China.
Photo| Geng Biao, former vice premier of the State Council (old photo)
Geng Biao, then vice premier of the State Council and in charge of foreign affairs, was also overwhelmed by the overwhelming influx of talks and interviews from all sides.
In particular, those pervasive journalists in Hong Kong dared to say anything and ask anything, so that Geng Biao, an old revolutionary who had run through countless bloody storms, did not know how to deal with it.
In May 1984, Geng Biao concluded a foreign affairs conference and had just come out of the venue surrounded by the long guns and short guns of a group of Hong Kong journalists.
Then came the sharp question of how will China govern after Hong Kong's return to the motherland? Will the central government implement "one country, two systems"? Is the central authorities going against the will of the people in Hong Kong and stationing troops in Hong Kong?
In this "problem shell" like rain, Comrade Geng Biao, who had just experienced the baptism of a foreign affairs meeting, had no opinion for a while, and did not know which question to answer first.
Some of the reporters saw this and consciously or unconsciously focused the topic on the garrison.
"The people of Hong Kong are afraid of garrisoning troops, so do you central authorities necessarily garrison troops in Hong Kong?"
Picture | Young Geng Biao and his wife Zhao Lanxiang (old photo)
Geng Biao did not think carefully and said vaguely: "We may not necessarily garrison the army!" ”
Just when the reporters were about to continue to go deeper, Geng Biao had already left the venue from the crowd of reporters with the help of the staff.
But Geng Biao did not expect that because of his unintentional words, he actually laid the root of the curse, and even caused Comrade Xiaoping to be angry, and personally came forward to clean up the mess.
Before the founding of the People's Republic of China, Geng Biao had experienced the agrarian revolutionary war, the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, and the War of Liberation; he had firm faith, fought bravely, and was good at thinking in the people's army.
Before joining the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Geng Biao served as deputy commander and chief of staff of the Second Corps of the North China Military Region.
At the beginning of 1950, due to the needs of foreign affairs work, he was transferred to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs by the Party Central Committee, and successively served as ambassadors in Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Pakistan, Burma, Albania and other countries.
Chairman Mao also lamented: "Geng Biao dared to tell the truth and reflect the real situation, and was a good ambassador." ”
In 1971, after being transferred back to China, Geng Biao served as the director of the International Liaison Department, and during the special period, he still firmly adhered to principles, with a strong will to withstand the pressure, and did a lot of work inside and outside the country, which was highly recognized by Comrade Xiaoping, Ye Jianying and others.
Photo | Chairman Mao speaking (old photo)
After the end of the special period, Geng Biao was successively appointed vice premier of the State Council, member and secretary general of the Central Military Commission, minister of national defense, vice chairman of the Standing Committee of the Sixth National People's Congress and member of the Foreign Affairs Committee.
Therefore, what he said, especially his statement on foreign affairs, is the attitude of the central authorities in the eyes of outsiders.
Comrade Geng Biao, who was already mentally exhausted after a foreign affairs conference, was repeatedly bombed and misled by reporters, and then said the "not so sure" remark, which was immediately seized by the Hong Kong media and made a big fuss about it.
As a result, soon after, on the front pages of many media in Hong Kong, articles with the headlines such as "No Troops Will Be Stationed in Hong Kong", "Hong Kong Does Not Need to Garrison Troops", "Dare Not Garrison Troops in Hong Kong" and so on appeared.
The information obtained from reliable sources has aroused heated discussion in the mainland and Hong Kong and the whole world for a time.
Not long after, this news reached the ears of Comrade Xiaoping, who was presiding over the two sessions, and caused the old man, who had always been quite peaceful, to be angry on the spot.
Comrade Xiaoping repeated the table several times in a row, and repeatedly shouted angrily: "On what basis do they say these words?" What qualifications did Geng Biao have to speak like this? In the future, on the issue of Hong Kong, I have the final say, the premier has the final say, and the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office has the final say."
Photo | Comrade Deng Xiaoping (old photo)
The elderly often do not threaten, and this initiation of the threat is like a landslide and tsunami.
For a moment, everyone in the venue was shocked, and the whole venue seemed extremely quiet and depressed.
After a while, the old man calmed down his anger and discussed with everyone about the unfinished business just now.
Subsequently, in order to clarify the matter, Comrade Xiaoping held a special press conference to clarify the issue of the Hong Kong garrison, unceremoniously re-approved Geng Biao, and affirmed China's true position:
"You sent me a message saying that what Geng Biao said was nonsense, and asked you to refute the rumors for me; Hong Kong is China's territory, why can't we garrison troops, and can we still be Chinese territory without the right to garrison troops?" ......”
Finally, Comrade Xiaoping glanced at the Hong Kong and Macao reporters present and said with an incomparably certain attitude: Hong Kong is an inseparable part of China, and the recovery of sovereignty is bound to be implemented, and the exercise of the right to garrison troops is naturally certain, and there is no doubt about it.
Photo | Comrade Xiaoping (old photo)
As for what some people say that "it will harm the interests of the Hong Kong people", this is pure nonsense.
Hong Kong citizens are also part of China, and as long as they act in accordance with the laws and regulations of the central government, they will certainly receive excellent care, and Hong Kong will not have a so-called "disaster" because of the issue of return to the motherland!
Comrade Xiaoping's speech at the press conference made some of the forces behind Hong Kong reporters realize that it was unrealistic to want to take any advantage from the mainland.
In order not to let itself fall into a more passive situation, the British side showed some sincerity in the subsequent Sino-British negotiations.
After a year of continued negotiations, an agreement was reached at the end of that year, and the Sino-British Joint Declaration was signed, announcing that Hong Kong would complete the transfer of sovereignty by 1 July 1997.
As for Comrade Geng Biao, he was so distracted by various affairs that he did not realize how much that inadvertent remark had had on the Hong Kong issue.
It was not until he was interviewed by Comrade Xiaoping not long after that he truly realized his mistake and deeply blamed himself for being quick-witted.
Afterwards, Comrade Geng Biao carefully recalled the scene of the day, and he was indeed too tired and misled, which lost his square inch.
In this regard, Geng Biao did not have any prevarication, but bravely admitted everything, and conducted a profound review, profoundly explaining the spirit of Comrade Xiaoping's speech, and focusing on affirming that the matter of the Hong Kong garrison should not be done, and there was no return to the world.
As long as you do things, you will inevitably make mistakes, and Comrade Xiaoping has a deep understanding of this.
He knew that Comrade Geng Biao did not have any major problems, but he had lost his sense of proportion on that occasion, and as an old revolutionary who had carried the barrel of a gun for nearly twenty years and had been running for the diplomatic cause of New China for more than twenty years, he was naturally a good comrade.
Photo | Comrade Xiaoping (old photo)
Comrade Xiaoping was worried that Geng Biao would be made some articles by people with hearts because of this matter, and after the matter was calm, he made a conclusive conclusion on the matter in public: "This issue has passed, there is no need to mention it again!" ”
After this incident, Geng Biao's enthusiasm for work was as good as ever, and he was more cautious and prudent in his actions, which won the trust and respect of Comrade Xiaoping and the Central Committee.
In July 1988, in view of Comrade Geng Biao's extraordinary contributions, the Central Committee and the Central Military Commission specially awarded him the Red Star Meritorious Service Medal of the First Class.
It was the first time that the Order of the Red Star was awarded, covering outstanding retired cadres who had joined the revolutionary ranks before 1937 or had been awarded the rank of major general or above (or served as leaders at or above the provincial and ministerial levels) before 1965.
Only 835 people in the whole country have been awarded the First Class Red Star Medal, which shows the extraordinary weight of Comrade Geng Biao in the hearts of the Central Committee and the Central Military Commission.
On the way to Hong Kong's return to the motherland, in addition to these obvious obstacles, there are still some problems that need time to solve.
Photo| On September 14, 1988, the Central Military Commission held a ceremony to confer the title of general
First, the media in Hong Kong has long been controlled by the British, which means that the channels for the Hong Kong people to know the outside world have been controlled by the British for a long time.
In the meantime, they naturally spread to the Hong Kong people words and deeds that are unfavorable to the mainland, which affected the emotional tendencies of many Hong Kong people.
During the Sino-British struggle for sovereignty, they were again instructed to go to Beijing to find a breakthrough to obstruct it, but fortunately they were broken by Comrade Xiaoping with a tough attitude.
Second, Hong Kong's education has long been controlled by the British, and in the process of growing up generations of Hong Kong children, they have been subjected to a certain indoctrination education.
These people talked about Britain's contribution to Hong Kong, and then described the mainland's unbearable, so that these Hong Kong people gradually formed a stereotype: Hong Kong can only maintain sustained prosperity under British management.
That is to say, after the recovery of Hong Kong in 1997, in addition to maintaining the relevant status quo in Hong Kong in terms of system, we must also break the seeds of thinking planted by the British in all aspects and reverse their erroneous views on the mainland.
This, of course, takes time and our ongoing sincerity.
Third, during the British control of Hong Kong, hundreds of thousands of foreigners were imported from neighboring countries such as Vietnam, the Philippines and India.
The great gap between nationalities, languages and cultural practices dooms them to be difficult to fully integrate.
Once Hong Kong is returned, these people will definitely make some problems, and what we can do at this time must be a combination of leniency and severity, and it must be long-term, so that these outsiders can really have a sense of identity.
For these, the central government has long been determined.
On July 1, 1997, soon after The return of Hong Kong, there was more rectification, and all kinds of problems were taken care of in an orderly manner, and the so-called disaster in Britain did not come, but ushered in a "great prosperity".
I would like to extend my highest respect to Comrade Mao Xiaoping, who has a far-sighted vision!
-Ends-
Resources
People's Daily News: Deng Xiaoping's "Tongue War" Margaret Thatcher: This Woman Is Unreasonable
China News Network: "Deng Xiaoping's Hong Kong Negotiations "Frightened" Thatcher, Saying Thatchel Is Not Afraid of Death in War"
Southeast Network: "Sino-British Negotiations Are Raging: Margaret Thatcher's Domineering Angers Deng Xiaoping"
People's Daily News: "Thatcher in Hong Kong Negotiations Was "Intimidated" by Deng Xiaoping's 1 Sentence and Looked Confused"