But Hong Kong had a deal summarized in "one country, two systems" supposedly for a 50-year period starting from 1997. This has demonstrably been broken. China is also interpreting international maritime law to its own advantage. https://www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpreter/how-china-bending-rules-south-china-sea
The days of Rule Britannia are over, Steve. The UK/US are no longer strong enough to impose their will and rules on China and Russia any longer. They can't even impose their will on countries like Syria now, the Taliban defeated them and Iran are at least their peer in missile and air defence tech.
The UK just days ago provocatively sailed a warship through the Taiwan Straits alongside the US. This is what provoked the 56 Chinese fighters and bombers to approach, which was inevitably painted as Chinese aggression.
Remember how the US reacted to USSR placing nukes on Cuba? Cuba is also a recognised sovereign state. No country recognises Taiwan as a state. It is a province of China. It is not recognised as a state at the UN. It is no more a state than the Isle of Wight.
How would the US react to China fomenting rebellion and arming separatists in Hawaii with anti aircraft missiles, armoured vehicles, artillery etc.? How would that be different to the US arming and fomenting rebellion in China?
How about Russia fomenting secession and arming separatists in Scotland? How would the UK govt. react? How would that be different from UK/US aggression around the Taiwan issue?
We are entering, have entered, a multipolar world. Dollar trade is falling and will not long be replaced by countries trading in their own currencies again. This is happening now and will only accelerate. In terms of military power there is nothing the Western powers can do to defeat even Iran now, never mind China and Russia.
It is an observable reality that US/UK and the rest of their merry band of war criminals, otherwise known as NATO, have spent decades arming, preparing and strategising for war against weaker powers. As such they have built a military machine that can destroy the militaries of weak defenceless countries.
Whilst they have been on a 20 year rampage of unprecedented war crimes invading and subjugating weak but resource rich or strategically important countries, China, Russia and Iran have outplayed them and are turning the tide.
The end of Western colonialism is something to celebrate for all. Endless wars and suffering are the only result of US/UK foreign policy and the end of their despotic wars should be celebrated. We should not be encouraging yet more provocations under false pretexts. How many times do you need lying to before you realise that you are being lied to? No babies were thrown out of Kuwaiti incubators by Saddam's Iraqi troops. That was a lie. Saddam had no WMD. That was a lie. Libya, Syria, lies. Will you ever figure it out?
Whilst the US/UK NATO have spent 20/30 years bogged down in increasingly attritional wars, the bogging down being helped along by Iran, Russia and China, all who have played roles to keep Empire bogged down in conflicts that they expected to end swiftly. Yemen, Syria, Venezuela have all been able to resist. This time has allowed the same countries to prepare for a defensive war against a predictable enemy.
Aircraft Carrier Groups are now obsolete against modern air defence and missile tech. Russia and China are so far ahead in missile tech that it is literally a game changer. NATO cannot win. Their multi billion dollar aircraft carriers negated by missiles that cost a few thousand dollars. Likewise their military bases. 30,000+ US troops in Guam would be instantly killed. Every military base would be instantly vulnerable in any attack against China, Iran, Russia. NATO are equipped for the wrong war against the wrong adversaries and would be readily defeated if they fight those that are prepared for them. It's over. They are in check everywhere on the board.
The moves and provocations now demonstrate their powerlessness. It is all show and propaganda now. They have nothing else. If China decide to militarily intervene in Taiwan the US will do nothing because there is nothing they could do. All separatists sponsored by the US are learning that the US has no loyalty and will quickly throw allies under the bus. The rest of the world saw the Afghan debacle and US weakness displayed for all to see.