Diplomacy Ends at Midnight - The Long Return of Hong Kong to China

The compelling story of the inescapable return of Hong Kong to China, published for the 25th anniversary of the handover

British Hong Kong ended in the last minutes of 30 June 1997. Diplomacy Ends at Midnight traces the extraordinary twists and turns of Hong Kong''s long drawn out, but unavoidable, reunion with China, when its 99-year leasehold on much of the colony''s territory expired. 25 years ago, Britain did not want to return Hong Kong to its once and future owner, and most Hong Kongers didn''t want them to either, but the choice was not theirs to make.

Through exceptional archival research and interviews with many of the participants, Dalena Wright traces the intricate diplomacy by which the British sought to resist and then ultimately had to accept the inevitable reversion. The book tells the story of governors, prime ministers, presidents and Chinese leaders who believed for a century that ownership of the tiny entrepot was worth diplomatic stand