From the pages of the South China Morning Post this week in 1984
The Sino-British agreement on the future of Hong Kong after the handover to Chinese sovereignty in 1997 was initialled in the Great Hall of the People.
It took only three minutes to initial the three documents - the main statement, the three annexes and the memorandum - which embodied what was in store for the 5.5 million people of Hong Kong in the 50 years after 1997.
The entire ceremony was over in under half an hour and the governor, Sir Edward Youde, returned from the capital by specially chartered plane to break the news about the future to an expectant Hong Kong. He gave his approval to the historic agreement between Britain and China, declaring it 'a sound basis' for the future.
Sir Edward told a hushed Legislative Council the agreement meant that people could 'continue to plan their lives, work and raise their families in Hong Kong in peace and security with their rights and freedoms protected under the law'. The uncertainty about 1997 had become a deterrent to confidence and progress.
'The agreement also ensures that its economic lifeblood can continue flowing with the same vigour in the future as it has in the past.'
