Abstract:
The Chinese crackdown on the dissidents in Tiananmen Square had a multi-faceted impact on Hong Kong, conjuring both long-term and immediate fears. This case, however, is concerned with a specific decision faced by the British government of Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in the Tiananmen aftermath: whether to assure stability in the prosperous crown colony, due to revert to Chinese control a mere 10 years hence, by granting any Hong Kong citizen who wanted it the right to live in Britain. In deciding on the Hong Kong demand, Prime Minister Thatcher had to consider not only the British relationship with China but domestic British politics and the immigration policies of other Western nations.