In 1982, Deng Xiaoping met with Margaret Thatcher
<h1 class="pgc-h-center-line" data-track="138" > preface</h1>
"I don't solve this problem, I am Li Hongzhang." Whoever does not solve this problem is Li Hongzhang. In September 1983, Deng Xiaoping met with former British Prime Minister Heath at the Great Hall of the People and said this about the Hong Kong issue.
A year before Heath's visit to China, British Female Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher visited China for the first time to hold talks with Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping on the Hong Kong issue. After the end, Margaret Thatcher was filled with disappointment and pain in her heart, and after returning to the station, she sighed:
"It's cruel!"
<h1 class="pgc-h-center-line" data-track="139" > "It's their business"</h1>
"My biggest wish is to live until 1997, because then Hong Kong will be taken back and I still want to go there." Deng Xiaoping said this many times before his death.
Pictured: Deng Xiaoping in his youth
The reason why the Hong Kong issue can be successfully resolved is inextricably linked to Deng Xiaoping. In 1920, Deng Xiaoping went to France for work-study, passing through Hong Kong for the first time. During the Revolutionary War, Deng Xiaoping set foot on Hong Kong's soil four times when he traveled between the Soviet Union and Shanghai, when Hong Kong was under British rule, and the Hong Kong problem was far from meeting the conditions for settlement.
After the founding of New China, the environment at home and abroad was complicated at that time, and in order to break the comprehensive blockade of New China by Western capitalism led by the United States, the leaders of the state collectively made the decision to "temporarily not move Hong Kong" in order to preserve the "international channel" of Hong Kong and make full use of it, and then resolve this problem left over from history through peaceful negotiations when the conditions are ripe.
In May 1974, former British Prime Minister Heath arrived in Beijing, and everyone knew the intention of the former prime minister's visit to China. Deng Xiaoping led thousands of people to the airport to greet him, and after seeing Heath, Deng Xiaoping said to him:
"On behalf of Premier Zhou Enlai, I extend a warm welcome to you."
Chairman Mao and Heath shook hands cordially
At that time, the person Heath wanted to meet most when he came to China was not Deng Xiaoping, nor Premier Zhou, but Chairman Mao. The day after Heath arrived in Beijing, he met Chairman Mao in Zhongnanhai. After Chairman Mao and Heath talked for more than two hours, Heath finally couldn't help but want to talk about hong Kong, and Chairman Mao said to him bluntly:
"The remaining Hong Kong issue will not be discussed for now."
Chairman Mao then asked Premier Zhou how long he had left, and Premier Zhou replied that Hong Kong had been leased to them in 1898 for 99 years and expired in 1997. Chairman Mao nodded to Heath and said to Heath that we would discuss what to do when the time came, and then he held out his hand and pointed to Deng Xiaoping and said:
"It's their business."
At the welcoming banquet that evening, Deng Xiaoping issued a statement on behalf of the Chinese government that the Hong Kong issue, as a historical legacy between China and Britain, would be resolved in due course:
"We can fully seek common ground while reserving differences, make friends, and develop relations on the basis of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence."
Chairman Mao and other leaders met with Heath
Since the second half of 1978, Deng Xiaoping has been considering the issue of Hong Kong's return to the motherland, which is also the embryonic stage of the "one country, two systems" concept. At that time, during the period of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the United States, when meeting with foreign guests, Deng Xiaoping repeatedly proposed on the issue of peaceful reunification of the motherland that "when settling the Taiwan issue, we will respect Taiwan's reality."
The following year, in the "Message to Taiwan Compatriots" issued by the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress and in 1981, When Ye Jianying spoke to reporters, he openly expounded the nine-point policy on realizing the peaceful reunification of Taiwan with the mainland of the motherland. In 1982, when Deng Xiaoping met with overseas scholar Li Yaoji, he commented on Ye Jianying's "Nine Points":
"The nine-point policy is actually 'one country, two systems,' and two systems are permissible, not only the Taiwan issue, but also the Hong Kong issue, which is generally the same."
This was the first time deng xiaoping officially used the concept of "one country, two systems," and since then "one country, two systems" has become synonymous with the basic national policy of peaceful reunification of the motherland. In April of the same year, former British Prime Minister Heath visited China for the fourth time and was interviewed by Deng Xiaoping. During the meeting, Deng Xiaoping clearly stated:
It is time to consider dealing with Hong Kong.
Deng Xiaoping met with Jin Yong and his family
Two months later, Deng Xiaoping took the opportunity to meet with well-known personalities in Hong Kong to formally announce the Chinese Government's position and principles on handling the Hong Kong issue and formulated the "16-character policy":
"Recover sovereignty, maintain prosperity, keep the system unchanged, and Hong Kong people govern Hong Kong."
As the time is ripe for peaceful negotiations to resolve the Hong Kong issue, the Chinese government has formally extended an invitation to British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher to visit China.
<h1 class="pgc-h-center-line" data-track="140" > "If the negotiations cannot be negotiated, China will also take it back."</h1>
At the invitation of the Chinese government, Margaret Thatcher arrived at Beijing Capital International Airport on the afternoon of September 22, and Margaret Thatcher, known as the "Iron Lady", stepped off the plane with a smile and began the first visit of the current British leader to New China. After Thatcher and her party arrived at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse, the waitress offered the prime minister a cup of strong coffee with two vitamin C tablets, which surprised Margaret Thatcher:
"How do Chinese know my habits?"
Pictured with mrs. Thatcher's old photo
On the second day of Thatcher's arrival in Beijing, Hong Kong newspapers made front-page headlines about Thatcher's arrival in Beijing, and also published the first talks in which senior Chinese government officials publicly expressed their intention to reclaim Hong Kong's sovereignty, which for a time stirred up the inner turmoil of the Hong Kong people.
Shortly before Margaret Thatcher's visit to Beijing, Britain had just won the war in the Malvinas Islands, which for a time made Margaret Thatcher famous internationally, and this time on her trip to Beijing, she had hoped to use the victory of this war to show that Britain would do whatever it took to keep its colonies.
But after meetings with senior Chinese officials the day before, Margaret Thatcher felt that it would be unrealistic to preserve Hong Kong's sovereignty, so she changed her perspective and made another plan, asking the Chinese government to treat the New Territories and Hong Kong and Kowloon differently, and she wanted to exchange sovereignty for British authority over Hong Kong. Thatcher knew very little about the talks with Mr. Deng, and she tried to keep her nervousness and uneasiness from catching any subtle changes in her.
Photo: Deng Yingchao met with Mrs. Thatcher
On the morning of September 24, Margaret Thatcher specially found an entourage to make her hair, and after breakfast, there was only half an hour before the negotiations, and although the staff was already reminding her of the time, Thatcher did not show any hurry, and sat for a while before getting up and going to the Great Hall of the People.
Mrs. Thatcher first came to the Xinjiang Hall of the Great Hall of the People, and Premier Zhou's wife, Deng Yingchao, was already at the door to greet her. As early as 1977, Margaret Thatcher visited China as the leader of the British Conservative Party and met with Deng Yingchao at that time. When the two were particularly happy to see each other again, Deng Yingchao also wished Mrs. Thatcher a successful visit.
After bidding farewell to Deng Yingchao, Margaret Thatcher walked toward the Fujian Hall, which would be the place where she and Deng Xiaoping would meet. Although the distance between the two halls was not long, Margaret Thatcher's steps were getting slower and slower, and the expression on her face was getting more and more serious. Just now, although Deng Yingchao was in poor health, she was still greeted at the door early, and now that she was halfway through, she still did not see the door of the Fujian Hall open, nor did she see Deng Xiaoping's figure.
Picture丨 In 1977, Margaret Thatcher visited the Great Wall
Just when she was five or six meters away from the gate, the door of the Fujian Hall slowly opened, and Deng Xiaoping came out of it with a smile on his face and shook hands with Mrs. Thatcher. When Margaret Thatcher met, she said:
"I am visiting China as the current prime minister and I am very happy to see you."
"Yes, I know several British prime ministers, but all the ones I know are now out of office. Welcome! Although Deng Xiaoping said that it was the actual situation, this profound sentence made Margaret Thatcher not know how to respond for a while. After the two guests entered the Fujian Hall and took their seats, the reporters were invited to leave the meeting, and the talks officially began in a friendly atmosphere.
Out of diplomatic practice, Deng Xiaoping initially chose some light-hearted topics. Deng Xiaoping told Margaret Thatcher that Marx had lived in England for a long time and had carefully observed the living conditions of British workers, and Margaret Thatcher, not knowing what considerations, took up the topic and said:
"Yes, Marx wrote a book on Capital, but he himself lacked capital the most."
Deng Xiaoping shook hands with Margaret Thatcher cordially
After the two men chatted about some light-hearted topics, the talks began to turn to formal topics, with Margaret Thatcher preemptively saying that maintaining Hong Kong's prosperity required the British to stay, and that the Hong Kong issue would have disastrous consequences if not handled well. In response to this question, Deng Xiaoping answered categorically in 17 words:
"Hong Kong is China's territory, and we must take it back."
Deng Xiaoping then stressed that China did not think that taking back Hong Kong would have disastrous consequences, and if so, Chinese would face it bravely. Subsequently, Deng Xiaoping frankly told Margaret Thatcher that the Hong Kong issue was very simple and could certainly be resolved in a year or two, and once again reiterated his consistent stand on the Hong Kong issue since the founding of New China:
"Taking back Hong Kong is the will of the people of the whole Chinese and even the people of the whole world, and if it is not taken back, it means that the Chinese government is the government of the late Qing Dynasty and the Chinese leader is Li Hongzhang!"
Photo: Deng Xiaoping with Margaret Thatcher
The meeting was scheduled for an hour and a half, and just as reporters outside the door began to speculate about what was going on inside, the talks also entered the final stage. At the end of the talks, Deng Xiaoping suggested that China and Britain first reach an agreement and agree to hold consultations on the Hong Kong issue through diplomatic issues.
"Okay! But what if the negotiations are not successful? ”
"China hopes to peacefully reclaim Hong Kong and negotiate to take it back." Deng Xiaoping paused slightly at this point, intensified his tone, and continued: "If the talks cannot be concluded, China will also take it back." ”
<h1 class="pgc-h-center-line" data-track="141" > "How cruel!" </h1>
Just as the reporter outside the door was anxiously waiting, Mrs. Thatcher walked out of the Fujian Hall with a solemn face. At that time, reporters were still expecting Deng Xiaoping to come out with her, and some even wanted to stop Deng Xiaoping when he was sending him out and ask him to say a few words to hong Kong compatriots. But the reporters seemed to understand something from Thatcher's disappointed expression.
Picture 丨 Old photo of Deng Xiaoping
Margaret Thatcher did not want to make any concessions on the Hong Kong issue, but in the "confrontation" with Deng Xiaoping, she found that she had too few advantages to rely on, and finally had to decide not only to exchange sovereignty, but also to hand over the right to govern. The British female politician, who was famous in the world at the time, had to bow down to Deng Xiaoping.
When Margaret Thatcher slowly walked down the stone steps of the Great Hall of the People, she looked up at the reporters under the stone steps, and her originally solemn face suddenly smiled and nodded to them. Just as she stepped on the penultimate stone steps, she accidentally tripped over the stone steps, and her body suddenly lost its balance and fell to her knees on the ground.
The British ambassador to China and other staff members who were walking beside her saw the situation and rushed forward to help her up at the first time, and picked up the handbag she had thrown aside. On such a grand occasion, this accident made her a little embarrassed, but she quickly calmed down and did not forget to thank her when she took the handbag.
Pictured: Margaret Thatcher accidentally fell in front of the Great Hall of the People
Margaret Thatcher did not expect that Deng Xiaoping's position on the issue of Hong Kong's sovereignty would be so firm that there would be no room for accommodation. After the talks, her heart was full of disappointment and pain, and when she returned, she lamented to the British ambassador to China about Deng Xiaoping's attitude toward the Hong Kong issue:
According to Thatcher's memoirs, when she flew to Beijing, she had already taken into account that China would not recognize the treaties signed by the Qing government at all, and after discussions with many political and business people, decided to put her position on the basis of at least a part of British sovereignty, and then exchange sovereignty for governance, only to sit at the negotiating table and find that it was just their wishful thinking.
In the afternoon of the same day, Margaret Thatcher held a press conference in the Great Hall of the People and read out to Chinese and foreign reporters the joint statement drawn up by the Chinese and British governments. Although the statement was only 83 words, Thatcher had a hard time reading it. At the appreciation banquet in the evening, Thatcher used an ancient poem: "Confidant in the sea, if the end of the world is nearby" to express her gratitude to the Chinese leader, which won the favor of many Chinese present, and then she told everyone in an optimistic tone:
"This China-UK talks have yielded valuable and encouraging results."
Photo: Deng Xiaoping delivered a speech
Having gained no advantage on the question of sovereignty, Margaret Thatcher intended to "contest" Deng Xiaoping again on administrative issues. After the victory of the re-elected prime minister, Margaret Thatcher played the "triangle stool" card, that is, when China and Britain were negotiating, let the Hong Kong and British authorities participate as full members, resulting in a tripartite joint office between China, Britain and Hong Kong, making Hong Kong a politically independent entity.
Just after the Hong Kong Governor Youde returned to Hong Kong from London, the reporter learned that Youde was listed as a member of the British delegation, and asked him bluntly whether he represented the United Kingdom or who he represented.
Youde's words caused an uproar, and some clear-headed Hong Kongers immediately realized that this was a conspiracy created by the British. Beijing reacted strongly after learning of the incident, with a Foreign Ministry spokesman saying that the Hong Kong issue was a talk between China and the United Kingdom, and Youde could only represent the British government.
Picture 丨 Hong Kong Governor Youde was interviewed by reporters
The Chinese side's tough attitude forced Thatcher to withdraw the "triangle stool" card she played, and the British Foreign Office hastily responded, saying that Youde was of course only representing the British side in the talks.
<h1 class="pgc-h-center-line" data-track="142" > "I don't solve this problem, I am Li Hongzhang"</h1>
Since the first round of talks between China and the UK began, the British side has not given up the idea of "exchanging sovereignty for governing power", and has forced the Chinese side to agree to their unreasonable demands. Faced with another stalemate in negotiations, former British Prime Minister Heath flew to Beijing for the sixth time, intending to use his identity to make a little contribution to the negotiations.
In September 1983, Deng Xiaoping met with Heath at the Great Hall of the People, and after an old friend met and greeted him, the two began a formal discussion on the Hong Kong issue. Deng Xiaoping was extremely dissatisfied with the British government's approach in the negotiations, and he hoped that in the talks, he would no longer dwell on the issue of sovereignty for governance, but would discuss in a down-to-earth manner how to deal with the transitional period and how Hong Kong would develop in the future.
Deng Xiaoping met with Heath
Deng Xiaoping once again stressed that if the British side did not change its negotiating attitude, China would have to unilaterally announce the policy of resolving the Hong Kong issue in September 1984:
"I hope that Prime Minister Thatcher and her government will take a clear attitude that there will be no change in China's policy of taking back Hong Kong in 1997, otherwise we will not be able to pay the bills." If I don't solve this problem, I am Li Hongzhang, and whoever doesn't solve this problem is Li Hongzhang. ”
Britain has resorted to all sorts of tricks both inside and outside the negotiating arena, and the Chinese government has not compromised at all. After the end of the fourth round of talks, the British government had to make concessions in the negotiations due to the situation. After 22 rounds of arduous negotiations, China and the UK finally reached an agreement. In December 1984, Margaret Thatcher came to China for the second time and formally signed the Sino-British Joint Declaration on Hong Kong.
Figure丨 84 China and the United Kingdom signed a joint statement
The signing ceremony lasted 4 minutes from signing to exchanging texts. When the representatives of the two countries exchanged the text of the statement, the audience erupted into warm applause. Deng Xiaoping and other Chinese leaders came to Margaret Thatcher, held up champagne with a smile on their faces, congratulated the two sides on completing a major event of historic significance, and the two agreed to see each other in Hong Kong in 1997 and to attend the handover ceremony in Hong Kong.
According to Deng Xiaoping's daughter Mao Mao, Deng Xiaoping always had a wish, that is, when Hong Kong returned to the motherland, he would personally set foot on this piece of motherland's land, even if he was in a wheelchair, even if he stood on Hong Kong's soil for a minute. At the time, the whole family believed and went all out to ensure that Deng Xiaoping, then 93, could realize his wish.
At the end of December 1996, Deng Xiaoping was hospitalized due to illness, and on the eve of the Spring Festival, he met with the central leaders who had come to visit him in the hospital and instructed them to do a good job in restoring the exercise of sovereignty over Hong Kong this year. On February 15, Deng Xiaoping's family wrote a letter to the Party Central Committee, saying that Comrade Xiaoping had always had a good view of the issue of life and death, and had already given his family a lot of explanations for his aftermath.
Photo Shu Zhuolin attended the hong Kong handover ceremony
Deng Xiaoping died four days later, just over four months away from Hong Kong's return. In the early morning of July 1, 1997, The Handover Ceremony was held in Hong Kong, and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China was formally established. The handover ceremony specially invited Deng Xiaoping's wife Zhuo Lin to attend, and she fulfilled her last wish in place of Deng Xiaoping.