Top Asian News 12:06 a.m. GMT

Timeline: Hong Kong under 25 years of Chinese rule

HONG KONG (AP) — The following are key events in the history of Hong Kong, which marked the 25th anniversary of its handover from British to Chinese rule on Friday. China had promised the territory could retain its civil, economic and political liberties for 50 years under the “one country, two systems" framework. However, in recent years Beijing has severely limited rights to free speech and assembly and virtually eliminated political opposition under the rubric of maintaining national security. — 1841: The Qing dynasty cedes Hong Kong Island to Britain after China's defeat in the first Opium War. British administration begins the next year, helping to grow trade in goods from tea to porcelain, while China's leadership deals with internal conflicts and increasing demands for foreign access to its enormous domestic market.