The point is that HK became much less of a charter city in 1997 (today it's not so much a "Chinese charter city" as a "Chinese regular city") and this is closely correlated with it becoming a lot worse for its residents.
HK is definitely not a Chinese charter city, that doesn't even make sense. China is not 'foreign' to China.
>HK folks weren't 'Chinese' nationals for over 150 years until 1997.
Yes until they were no longer inside of a charter city.
>They also have their own passports (HKSAR passports), speak their own language (Cantonese vs. Mandarin)
Does that make American Samoa a charter city?
> and their governance did not change
Lol
[edit] They also have their own passports (HKSAR passports), speak their own language (Cantonese vs. Mandarin) and have their own script (Traditional vs. Simplified). [1] ... and their governance did not change. Basic Law has been the law of the land in HK since 1997 at the point of the handover. Sovereignty and nationality and so on are complicated things. At some point 20 years in, the guarantor decided they didn't like how things were going.
HK folks weren't 'Chinese' nationals for over 150 years until 1997.
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Kong_Special_Administrati...