LapSap, you do have a point re "being driven by money" - like parts of all societies to some extent - but that is but one aspect of national development.
So, for example, will China wish to "normalise HK" and blend it more into mainland China? In a way, it's a bit embarrassing politically having a "legacy jewel" so they may wish to make an example of the place - a message for those on the margins of China who might be looking towards independence - such as Tibet. The protests we have seen will simply have strengthened Chinese resolve in that department. It also depends if the Chinese elite wish to maintain their own private "getaway" on the coast. And how will HK, in the longer term, fit in to overall Chinese economic development; how HK developed before the handover is no indication of how it will move forward from here. As noted by some, China is now off-loading production elsewhere on cost grounds so the economy itself is starting to morph. And there is the whole "The South China Sea's Gathering Storm" Thread in "Military Aviation" which makes HK just an "annoyance", the solution to which will pale into insignificance compared to what else is going on in the region.
I really don't know. However, in closing, I return to my view that, in setting up the transition arrangements, the UK implied things would happen in a certain way when it was quite clear that another path would be followed. Either the UK Government were naive - or they simply lied. TBH, with the UK, it's hard to know which!!!!
