The Handover of Hong Kong from the United Kingdom to the People's Republic of China occured on July 1, 1997. China agreed to govern Hong Kong under the principle of "one country, two systems", for the next 50 years.Hong Kong became a Special Administrative Region, and would retain certain freedoms, including: an independent judiciary, multiple political parties, freedom of assembly and speech
After 2047, mainland China is no longer obliged to grant Hong Kong the autonomy agreed on with Britain before the 1997 handover.