Timeline: Hong Kong, 1997-2007

January 29, 1999: Hong Kong faces the first test of China's promise not to interfere in its legal affairs with a debate over the right of mainland-born children of Hong Kong parents to live in the territory. After the Court of Final Appeal rules that four children of Hong Kong parents are entitled to "right of abode" — opening the potential floodgates for thousands of mainland immigrants — the government invites China's National People's Congress to issue its own interpretation of the law. The move sparked protests by mainland-born adults desperate to stay in Hong Kong, above, and concerns over how much judicial freedom Hong Kong was really guaranteed.

• Hong Kong, China
• What's Changed, What Hasn't