A start, not an end, for Britain

Today (Monday) British colonial rule over Hong Kong comes to an end. Colonialism has been repugnant to people everywhere for the past 50 years. Deep down many Britons, too, feel that way and are glad that this anachronistic subjugation of one people by another is finally ending.

Yet it would be wrong to say that many Hong Kong people have felt themselves become a subject and that they are overjoyed at seeing the British go. The colonial era is not something that the British should take away with them as a mere treasured memory when the Union Jack is hauled down tonight. Rather, it is something to build upon, in a new partnership that will benefit Britain, Hong Kong and the rising power China. Unlike other former colonies there really is no deep-seated animosity, despite the heated political exchanges of the past few years.

The history of British decolonization since the end of World War II has been a failure in this respect: with the lowering of the flag and the departure of the gunboats the British entrepreneurs have followed in train, leaving behind a vacuum to be swiftly filled by the Japanese.

But Hong Kong is different. By one estimate it is worth US$3 trillion (HK23.4 trillion), far richer than Britain itself. It is a city with a big future, a doorway to a resurgent East Asia. It will continue to prosper and be an invaluable partner to Britain. The links built up over 150 years will remain for a long time to come. It is up to Britain if these links are to be severed or developed in new directions for a better future.

-- The Hongkong Standard