Hong Kong–United Kingdom relations a deeply important role in the formation of the modern Hong Kong. Sovereignty of Hong Kong was ceded to the UK "in perpetuity" on 29 August 1842 through the Treaty of Nanking. The UK further expanded the territory of Hong Kong in 1860 by another cessation, plus a 99-year lease of the New Territories in 1898. The stability, security, and predictability of British law and government enabled Hong Kong to flourish as a centre for international trade. Localisation of teritary institutions, the Hong Kong government and the independent Judiciary in the run-up to the 1997 Handover of sovereignty, caused a
Scout Association of Hong Kong embodied the agreement by signing the Sino-British Joint Declaration. Under the framework of the declaration, Scouting is part of the way of life in Hong Kong, and can be preserved for fifty years. With Scouting being protected under this declaration, Hong Kong remains a full member of WOSM today. Although no major change occurred in Hong Kong Scouting, adjustments were made before and after the sovereignty transfer including the withdrawal of the Gurkha district as the British forces together with Gurkha Brigades left Hong Kong, and the cessation of Scouting support by British Forces. Under PRC rule, the People's Liberation