I first visited Hong Kong in 1982 while serving in the army.

The people were generous, gentle and happy under British rule.

But time was always running down for the colony and in 1997 the island was handed back to China after 156 years at an emotionally-charged ceremony.

The lavish event sat uncomfortably next to dire predictions about the future.

Let’s not forget that only eight years earlier soldiers and tanks had brutally suppressed a mass student protest in Beijing’s Tiannamen Square, which is now conveniently airbrushed from history.

The thousands of reported casualties are denied by the Chinese state to this day.

Still, to be fair, the handover came with an agreement that granted Hong Kong political, judicial and economic independence, along with rights for freedom of speech and assembly for 50 years.

That relative autonomy has been enjoyed until now.

This week, in some of the biggest protests since the handover, an estimated million citizens marched against a proposed new law that would allow extradition to mainland China.

Critics fear this will leave suspects vulnerable to trumped up charges, facing arbitrary detention, torture and unfair trial.

Autonomous Taiwan, already a thorn in China’s side, has refused to co-operate and Hong Kong citizens are united in rejecting the bill.

On Wednesday, protesters blocked access to the legislature, despite assurances from Chief Executive Carrie Lam, who answers to the Chinese Communist Party in Beijing, that human rights’ safeguards are in place.

Countries around the world have raised the alarm, but as Hong Kong’s giant neighbour flexes its muscles, their impotence is obvious.

Britain, which bears a moral and legal responsibility for the people of our former colony, is caught in a bind.

What will happen in 2047, when Hong Kong’s agreement with China expires, must be cause for concern.