Description
Over the last few years, the European Union has showed its strong interest in Hong Kong by condemning China’s breach of the Sino-UK Joint Declaration, passing resolutions on Hong Kong’s Freedom, and updating annual report of Hong Kong’s development. This interest, however, is in sharp contrast to its performance before and after the Sino-UK Joint Declaration. First, there was little involvement of the European Community (EC) in the negotiations over the handover of Hong Kong. The issue was kept bilateral between China and the UK rather than being ‘communitarized’, despite the construction of the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP). Second, there was little coordination between the UK and Portugal at the EC level, even though the two member states had similar problems to handle. Third, although the EC was concerned about the economic and immigratory impact of the handover, it did not raise many objections. Overall, the EU/EC’s interest in Hong Kong only increased after the handover. This paper will place in historical context the Joint Declaration from the viewpoint of the EC/EU.
