WORLD HISTORY

Detailed explanation-1: -On June 9, 1898, the British under Queen Victoria brokered a 99-year lease agreement for the use of Hong Kong after China lost a series of wars fought over the British trade in tea and opium.

Detailed explanation-2: -Hong Kong–a small peninsula and group of islands jutting out from China’s Kwangtung province–was leased by China to Great Britain in 1898 for 99 years.

Detailed explanation-3: -By the Convention of 1898, the New Territories together with 235 islands were leased to Britain for 99 years from July 1, 1898. With this expansion of territory, Hong Kong’s population leaped to 120, 000 in 1861 and to more than 300, 000 by the end of the century.

Detailed explanation-4: -In 1898, after the Second Opium War, the British and Chinese governments signed the Second Convention of Peking, which included a 99-year lease agreement for the islands surrounding Hong Kong. They called it the New Territories, and the British formally took possession on April 16, 1899.

Detailed explanation-5: -After the Second Opium War, Beijing was forced to also cede Kowloon in 1860, the area on the mainland opposite the island. In 1898, to enforce its control of the area, the UK leased additional land, known as the New Territories, promising to return them to China in 99 years.