CCTV documentary revisits Jiang on Hong Kong handover
RTHK · 2 SOURCESabout 1 hour ago2 MIN
Summary
China Central Television has continued broadcasting a documentary on late former Chinese Communist Party general secretary Jiang Zemin, revisiting Beijing’s narrative of the run-up to Hong Kong’s 1997 handover and the creation of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. The programme also reviewed Jiang’s statements on Taiwan, including the one-China principle, opposition to Taiwan independence and pursuit of peaceful reunification.
Key Points
- The documentary said that after the serious political turmoil in China in the spring and summer of 1989, some Western countries imposed what Beijing called “sanctions”, and Britain then created obstacles to a smooth Hong Kong transition
- It said British-side actions included an alleged idea of continuing to lease Hong Kong after 1997 for £1 billion, disputes over the new airport project, and Chris Patten’s political reform package
- Jiang said Hong Kong needed a smooth transition, but China would not yield to outside pressure, and in 1992 Beijing adopted the approach of “taking the initiative while preparing on two fronts”
- The film recalled Jiang telling Hong Kong advisers in 1993 that the central government would unswervingly implement “one country, two systems” regardless of circumstances, before China later decided to “start afresh” after talks collapsed
- It also revisited the 1996 establishment in Beijing of the Preparatory Committee for the Hong Kong SAR, Jiang’s 1 July 1997 handover speech in Hong Kong, and his Taiwan policy positions including the 1992 Consensus and his 1995 eight-point proposal.
Why It Matters
For Hong Kong audiences, the programme offers an official retrospective of how Beijing frames the final years before the handover and the political principles it says guided the SAR’s creation. By pairing Hong Kong’s transition with Jiang’s Taiwan policy, the episode places the city’s 1997 return within a broader national sovereignty narrative that remains central to official messaging.