Decolonisation in the Age of Globalisation - by Chi-Kwan Mark (Paperback)

About the Book

Drawing extensively on the declassified British archives and Chinese sources, this book explores how Britain and China negotiated for Hong Kong's future, and how Anglo-Chinese relations flourished after 1984.

Book Synopsis

In the 1980s, Britain actively engaged with China in order to promote globalisation and manage Hong Kong's decolonisation. Influenced by neoliberalism, Margaret Thatcher saw Britain as a global trading nation, which was well placed to serve China's reform. During the negotiations over Hong Kong's future, British diplomats aimed to educate the Chinese in free-market capitalism. Nevertheless, Deng Xiaoping held an alternative vision of globalisation, one that privileged sovereignty and socialism over market liberalism and democracy. By drawing extensively upon the declassified British archives along with Chinese sources, this book explores how Britain and China negotiated for Hong Kong's future, and how Anglo-Chinese relations flourished after 1984 but suffered a setback as a result of the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown. This original study argues that Thatcher was a pragmatic neoliberal, and the British diplomacy of 'educating' China yielded mixed results.

From the Back Cover

In the 1980s, Britain actively engaged with China in order to promote globalisation and manage Hong Kong's decolonisation. Influenced by neoliberalism, Margaret Thatcher saw Britain as a global trading nation, which was well placed to serve China's economic reform. With her conviction in free-market capitalism, Thatcher was eager to extend British rule in Hong Kong beyond 1997. During the 1982-84 negotiations, British diplomats aimed to 'educate' China about how capitalist Hong Kong worked. Nevertheless, Deng Xiaoping held an alternative vision of globalisation, one that privileged sovereignty and socialism over market liberalism and democracy.

Drawing extensively upon the declassified British archives and Chinese sources, the book recounts how Britain and China negotiated for Hong Kong's future, culminating in the signing of the Joint Declaration on its retrocession in 1997. It explores how Anglo-Chinese relations flourished after the Hong Kong agreement but suffered a setback as a result of the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown. This original and comprehensive study argues that Thatcher was a pragmatic neoliberal, and the British diplomacy of 'educating' China in global free trade and democracy yielded mixed results.

By examining Britain-China-Hong Kong relations from multiple perspectives, this book will be of interest to scholars and students in the fields of diplomatic, imperial, and global history.

Review Quotes

'Mark's meticulous approach enables him to present an authoritative story. The author delves into the archives to give us insights into what the key actors at the time thought (or said they thought).'
Tim Summers, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, International Affairs

'Decolonisation in the Age of Globalisation offers the most elaborate and meticulous reading of the negotiation process thus far ... The book, as Mark argues, is not just about Hong Kong's future and the negotiation process. It is also a window to understand how China and Britain saw themselves in the age of globalization.'
Ray Yep, University of Bristol, China Information

'As in his previous publications, Chi-kwan Mark offers a thorough and detailed study of the diplomatic and political issues he intends to address with a skillful handling of the declassified archives from different sources.'
Lui Tai Lok, Adjunct Research Chair Professor of Hong Kong Studies The Education University of Hong Kong, China Review

'...with its special attention to Hong Kong's 'long decolonisation', this is a book of choice for anyone interested in its recent past as much as its future. Overall, there is much to commend the author for in his mastery of archival sources touching on this subject'
Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society Hong Kong

'This is a timely book that explores the relationship between Margaret Thatcher's neo-liberal Britain and Deng Xiaoping's reformist China as each sought to manage the decolonisation of Hong Kong - a story that has been largely forgotten or deliberately distorted in relation to more recent events in Hong Kong.'
Survival Journal

About the Author