ABSTRACT
The double return of Hong Kong’s sovereignty from the United Kingdom to the People’s Republic of China (PRC) on July 1, 1997 and of Macau’s administrative right from Portugal to the PRC has triggered adaptive responses from both the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) and the Macau Special Administrative Region (MSAR) to the politico-administrative transfer of power. At the same time, the rapid rise of the PRC since the early 2000s has brought about varying responses from both the HKSAR and the MSAR. In a sense, the adaptation processes of both the HKSAR and the MSAR have exhibited two developments: the responses to the transfer of political power and to the emergence of mainland China as not only a regional power but also a global power in the arena of international relations. This chapter seeks to understand the varying responses from both the HKSAR and the MSAR to their transfer of power to the PRC and especially to the recent and ongoing emergence of the PRC regionally and globally.
