Definition: In this task, a passage will be given and the goal is to identify an event from the passage. An event is defined as a single word representing something that happened, is happening, or may happen. An event can be factual or hypothetical, positive or negative, certain or uncertain. While most events are based on verbs, an event can also be based on a noun (ex. storm, snow, rainfall) or a copula verb (is, was, been, etc.). The event must not be a pronoun or an adjective. For noun events with multiple words, use the last word in the phrase as event.
Input: Passage: Thursday, spokesman Michael McCurry said that the US administration will watch the handover anxiously and be ready to pounce on any sign that democratic freedoms are being yanked. He evoked the 1984 Joint Declaration agreement between Britain and China which calls for the continuation of civil rights in the former British colony and said: "We will assert an interest in preserving that formula into the future."

watch