The Joint Declaration on the Question of Macau, or Sino-Portuguese Joint Declaration, was a

treaty A treaty is a formal, legally binding written agreement between sovereign states and/or international organizations that is governed by international law. A treaty may also be known as an international agreement, protocol, covenant, convention ...

between

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...

and the

People's Republic of China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

over the status of

Macau Macau or Macao is a special administrative regions of China, special administrative region of the People's Republic of China (PRC). With a population of about people and a land area of , it is the most List of countries and dependencies by p ...

. The full name of the treaty is Joint Declaration of the Government of the Portuguese Republic and the Government of the People's Republic of China on the question of Macau. Signed on 26 March 1987, the Declaration established the process and conditions of the transfer of the territory from Portuguese rule to the People's Republic of China. The Joint Declaration served also as the main source of fundamental rights that were implemented in the Basic Law of the Macau Special Administrative Region. The process was otherwise similar to the

handover of Hong Kong The handover of Hong Kong from the United Kingdom to the People's Republic of China was at midnight on 1 July 1997. This event ended 156 years of British rule in the former colony, which began in 1841. Hong Kong was established as a specia ...

to Chinese sovereignty by the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

in 1997.

Background

By the 17th century, Portugal had established colonial rule over Macau after gaining concessions from various Chinese governments. In 1887, Portugal and the

Qing dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing, was a Manchu-led Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China and an early modern empire in East Asia. The last imperial dynasty in Chinese history, the Qing dynasty was preceded by the ...

signed the Sino-Portuguese Draft Minutes and the Sino–Portuguese Treaty of Peking, in which China ceded to Portugal the right to "perpetual occupation and government of Macau"; conversely, Portugal pledged to seek China's approval before transferring Macau to another country. Colonial rule continued until 1974, when the

Carnation revolution The Carnation Revolution (), code-named Operation Historic Turn (), also known as the 25 April (), was a military coup by military officers that overthrew the Estado Novo government on 25 April 1974 in Portugal. The coup produced major socia ...

installed a democratic regime in Portugal that sought to end colonialism. Bilateral talks between China and Portugal led to the status of Macau being established as Chinese territory under Portuguese administration. The full framework of transfer of sovereignty was decided in 1987 with the Sino-Portuguese Joint Declaration.

Provisions

The declaration provided for Portuguese administration to officially end on 20 December 1999. Although it would become a full part of the People's Republic of China, Macau would enjoy the status of a Special Administrative Region (SAR), with full autonomy and self-governance in domestic affairs, economic policy and internal security. The system of "

One country, two systems "One country, two systems" is a constitutional principle of the People's Republic of China (PRC) describing the governance of the special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macau. Deng Xiaoping developed the one country, two systems ...

" would be established, exempting Macau from the

socialist Socialism is an economic ideology, economic and political philosophy encompassing diverse Economic system, economic and social systems characterised by social ownership of the means of production, as opposed to private ownership. It describes ...

system and several laws decreed by the central government in

Beijing Beijing, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Peking, is the capital city of China. With more than 22 million residents, it is the world's List of national capitals by population, most populous national capital city as well as ...

. The

capitalist Capitalism is an economic system based on the private ownership of the means of production and their use for the purpose of obtaining profit. This socioeconomic system has developed historically through several stages and is defined by ...

, legal system and liberal society enjoyed by Macau would remain unchanged for a minimum of 50 years after the transfer. The Chinese government would not levy taxes on Macau nor make laws pertaining to Macau's governance. The Macau SAR would enjoy a great degree of autonomy in all but foreign affairs and defence, which would remain under Chinese control. Bearing the name of "Macau, China," Macau would enjoy the right to conclude agreements and arrangements with Portugal and international organisations for its own development. The Chinese

National People's Congress The National People's Congress (NPC) is the highest organ of state power of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The NPC is the only branch of government in China, and per the principle of unified power, all state organs from the Sta ...

would enact a "

Basic Law A basic law is either a codified constitution, or in countries with uncodified constitutions, a law designed to have the effect of a constitution. The term ''basic law'' is used in some places as an alternative to "constitution" and may be inte ...

" that would formalise the respecting of some basic principles of Chinese government in Macau, but leaving other areas untouched.

References

{{reflist, {{cite web , script-title = zh:中華人民共和國政府和葡萄牙共和國政府關於澳門問題的聯合聲明 , url = http://www.imprensa.macau.gov.mo/bo/i/88/23/dc/cn/default.asp , publisher = Government Printing Bureau, Macau Special Administrative Region , accessdate = 2007-12-11 , language = Chinese , url-status = dead , archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20071216013841/http://www.imprensa.macau.gov.mo/bo/i/88/23/dc/cn/default.asp , archivedate = 2007-12-16 {{cite web , title=Joint declaration of the Government of the People's Republic of China and The Government of the Republic of Portugal on the question of Macao , url=http://bo.io.gov.mo/bo/i/88/23/dc/en/ , publisher=Government Printing Bureau (Macao SAR) , year=1987 , accessdate=2010-04-26 {{cite web , title = Declaração Conjunta Do Governo Da República Portuguesa e Do Governo Da República Popular Da China Sobre a Questão De Macau , url = https://bo.io.gov.mo/bo/i/88/23/out01.asp , publisher = Government Printing Bureau, Macau Special Administrative Region , accessdate = 2020-06-20 , language = Portuguese , url-status = live , archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20190805150928/https://bo.io.gov.mo/bo/i/88/23/out01.asp , archivedate = 2019-08-05 Cold War treaties History of Macau Politics of Macau Treaties of the People's Republic of China 1987 in Portugal 1987 in China 1987 in Macau Treaties involving territorial changes Treaties concluded in 1987 Treaties entered into force in 1999 Treaties of Portugal Portuguese Macau China–Portugal relations National questions

Background

Provisions

See also

References