Hong Kong (CNN) The two leaders sat several feet apart at a long table covered in green silk. As early as 1982, establishing Hong Kong as a Chinese 'Special Administrative Region,' as it is today, was being discussed. Prosperity vs stabilityBy April 1982, the future legality of Hong Kong was starting to come into place. "Heath said that Britain received nothing from Hong Kong and suggested that Britain managed Hong Kong for the benefit of China and of mankind," Cradock wrote in a secret memo to Thatcher. Emily Lau, former chairwoman of the Hong Kong Democratic Party, said Hong Kongers knew that "all (the British) cared about was trade ... and the well being of the Hong Kong people was of secondary importance."

Source: CNN June 18, 2017 23:26 UTC