Hong Kong - Government
Based on the etymolgy of Hong Kong, it was probably an imprecise phonetic rendering of the Cantonese name meaning "fragrant harbor". The Government system in this country is the presidential limited democracy; a special administrative region of the People's Republic of China type and the different Administrative divisions includes: none (special administrative region of the People's Republic of China)
National symbols
Orchid tree flower; national colors: red, white.
The flag
The National flag of Hong Kong has red with a stylized, white, five-petal Bauhinia flower in the center; each petal contains a small, red, five-pointed star in its middle; the red color is the same as that on the Chinese flag and represents the motherland; the fragrant Bauhinia - developed in Hong Kong the late 19th century - has come to symbolize the region; the five stars echo those on the flag of China.
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The National Anthem
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More about the government of Hong Kong
| Date of Independence | none (special administrative region of China) |
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| National holiday | National Day (Anniversary of the Founding of the People's Republic of China), 1 October (1949); note - 1 July (1997) is celebrated as Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Establishment Day |
| Legal system | mixed legal system of common law based on the English model and Chinese customary law (in matters of family and land tenure); PRC imposition of National Security Law incorporates elements of Chinese civil law |
| International law organization participation | |
| Constitution | |
| History | Several previous (governance documents while under British authority); latest drafted April 1988 to February 1989, approved March 1990, effective 1 July 1997 (Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China serves as the constitution); note - since 1990, China's National People's Congress has interpreted specific articles of the Basic Law |
| Amendments | Proposed by the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress (NPC), the People’s Republic of China State Council, or the Special Administrative Region of Hong Kong; submittal of proposals to the NPC requires two-thirds majority vote by the Legislative Council of Hong Kong, approval by two thirds of Hong Kong’s deputies to the NPC, and approval by the Hong Kong chief executive; final passage requires approval by the NPC |
| Citizenship | |
| Executive Branch | |
| Chief of state | President of China XI Jinping (since 14 March 2013) |
| Head of government | Chief Executive John LEE Ka-chiu (since 1 July 2022) |
| Cabinet | Executive Council or ExCo appointed by the chief executive |
| Elections/appointments | president indirectly elected by National People's Congress for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 10 March 2023 (next to be held in March 2028); chief executive indirectly elected by the Election Committee and appointed by the PRC Government for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 8 May 2022 (next to be held in 2027) |
| Election results | 2022: John LEE was the only candidate and won with over 99% of the vote by the Election Committee 2017: Carrie LAM elected; Election Committee vote - Carrie LAM (non-partisan) 777, John TSANG (non-partisan) 365, WOO Kwok-hing (non-partisan) 21, 23 ballots rejected (1,186 votes cast) |
| Legislative branch | |
| Description | Unicameral Legislative Council or LegCo (90 seats); 20 members directly elected, 70 indirectly elected; members serve 4-year terms |
| Elections | Last held on 19 Dec 2021 (next to be held in 2025) |
| Election results | Percent of vote by bloc: pro-Beijing 93.8%, non-establishment 6.2%; seats by association/bloc/party - pro-Beijing 89 (DAB 19, HKFTU 8, BPA 7, NPP 5, LP 4, NTAS 4, HKFEW 2, HKFLU 2, CF 2, RT 1, PP 1, KWND 1, NPHK 1, NCF-1; other/independent 41), non-aligned 1 (Third Side); composition - men 73, women 17, percentage women 18.9% |
| Judicial branch | |
| Highest court(s) | Court of Final Appeal (consists of the chief justice, 3 permanent judges, and 20 non-permanent judges); note - a sitting bench consists of the chief justice, 3 permanent judges, and 1 non-permanent judge |
| Judge selection and term of office | All judges appointed by the Hong Kong Chief Executive upon the recommendation of the Judicial Officers Recommendation Commission, an independent body consisting of the Secretary for Justice, other judges, and judicial and legal professionals; permanent judges serve until normal retirement at age 65, but term can be extended; non-permanent judges appointed for renewable 3-year terms without age limit |
| Subordinate courts | High Court (consists of the Court of Appeal and Court of First Instance); District Courts (includes Family and Land Courts); magistrates' courts; specialized tribunals |
| Diplomatic representation in the US | |
| Chief of mission | None (Special Administrative Region of China) |
| HKETO offices | New York, San Francisco, Washington DC |
| Diplomatic representation from the US | |
| Chief of mission | Consul General Gregory MAY (since September 2022); note - also accredited to Macau |
| Embassy | 26 Garden Road, Central, Hong Kong |
| Mailing address | 8000 Hong Kong Place, Washington DC 20521-8000 |
| Telephone | [852] 2523-9011 |
| FAX | [852] 2845-1598 |
| Email address and website | [email protected] https://hk.usconsulate.gov/ |
Key Political parties and their leaders in Hong Kong
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International organization participation
All Important Facts about Hong Kong
Want to know more about Hong Kong? Check all different factbooks for Hong Kong below.
