Hong Kong: Colony at the Crossroads

Due to its imminent return to Chinese sovereignty, Hong Kong is very much at the centre of world attention. Under British colonial rule, Hong Kong’s economy has operated with minimum government regulation and interference. Now, this epitome of capitalism and enterprise is to be banded over to a country with a Communist government. This article provides a geographical portrait of Hong Kong which, by explaining its past and present development, illuminates the debates about its possible future prospects. It concludes that although China has much to gain from allowing Hong Kong to continue with its present economic arrangements, such an outcome is by no means certain.