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
Lieutenant Governor of Hong Kong Lieutenant Governor of Hong Kong The Lieutenant Governor of Hong Kong () held the second-highest position during the British colonial rule in Hong Kong from 1843 to 1902. Although Lieutenant Governor of Hong Kong was the second-highest position in Hong Kong, the Lieutenant Governor did not have any actual power in the Government – that power usually was gained by the Colonial Secretary. The first Lieutenant Governor of Hong Kong was George D'Aguilar and the post was subsequently held by the Commander British Forces in Hong Kong, thus all were British Army officers. From the 1870s to 1902, the role