In the 21st century, it’s difficult to imagine a war being fought over the right to import highly addictive opium into China, but in the 1840’s, that’s exactly what happened. China’s loss in the Opium War meant it had to sacrifice the coveted port city of Hong Kong.

In 1842, China was forced to sign the Treaty of Nanking, which gave the British Empire control of Hong Kong and forced China to lower its tariffs. CCTV America’s Nathan King reports.

The role of the Chinese Central Government in selecting candidates for the Chief Executive is what is being debated in Hong Kong now, in the streets and in the offices of the Chief Executive and all the way to Beijing.

As the protests fade, talks are scheduled to start as is the process to pick a Chief Executive with the ultimate aim of universal suffrage, or one person, one vote. That system is due to be in place by 2017.

For more on the current system of selecting candidates for Hong Kong’s Chief Executive and what the system of universal suffrage might look like in 2017, CCTV America’s Mike Walter spoke to Fred Teng, the chairman of the Hong Kong Association of New York.