ABSTRACT
On September 26, 1984, the People’s Republic of China and Great Britain reached an agreement on the “future of Hong Kong.” The Chinese Communists said the decision to permit Hong Kong to follow a system different from that in the Chinese mainland after 1997 was based on the concept of “one country, two systems.” Material published by the Chinese Communists indicate that the slogan of “one country, two systems” was advanced by Teng Hsiao-p’ing after repeated deliberations and consultations. The favorable balance of trade and the huge foreign investment in Hong Kong and the income earned in Hong Kong from overseas Chinese remittances and from tourism could be of impressive economic benefit to Peking. From the foregoing analysis, it is clear that the concept of “one country, two systems” began to take shape in 1979 when Peking decided to make peace overtures toward Taiwan.
