ABSTRACT
In the beginning of 1960, the dissolution of the British Empire in Asia was nearing its end. India, Pakistan and Burma were granted independence in 1947, and Malaysia's independence came in 1957. Post-war geopolitical developments, especially the Suez crisis in 1956 and British currency problems, convinced Britain to accept the end of the empire. In 1980s, Britain negotiated with Beijing about Hong Kong's retrocession to the mainland. Post-war colonial policy in Hong Kong was shaped by London's reaction to the radically changed international environment. By 1970s, Hong Kong had experienced an epidemiological transition. Almost all the major infectious diseases had either been eradicated or were under control, and the colony exhibited crude birth and life expectancy rates comparable to those in more developed countries. Post-war international developments and decolonization of the British Empire had already diminished the prestige of Britain, and the Hong Kong government urgently wanted to enhance its legitimacy and reduce the potential for social and political instability.
