> The UK should have offered citizenship to residents of Hong Kong prior to 1997. Yes, they should of but realistically they couldn't, life just isn't that sim

> The UK should have offered citizenship to residents of Hong Kong prior to 1997. Yes, they should of but realistically they couldn't, life just isn't that simple. China had explicitly blocked that. The hand over agreement to China was a very difficult and subtle balancing act. Since the '60s China had apposed further moves towards democracy or extension of HK citizen rights with the threat of invasion. However, as Thatcher pointed out in the 80s, China didn't even need to invade they could just cut the water supply off any time they felt like it.