The Government of Hong Kong

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.

The National Anthem

Title
Lyric/music

More about the government of Hong Kong

Constitution
Date of Independence	none (special administrative region of China)
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
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 in 2-seat constituencies, 30 indirectly elected by the approximately 220,000 members of various functional constituencies based on a variety of methods, and 50 indirectly elected by the 1,500-member Election Committee; members serve 4-year terms; note - in March 2021, China's National People's Congress amended the electoral rules and system for the LegCo; the total number of seats increased from 70 to 90, directly elected geographical constituencies were reduced from 35 to 20 seats, while trade-based indirectly elected functional constituencies remained at 30; an additional 40 seats were elected by the 1,500-member Election Commission; all political candidates are evaluated by the Candidate Eligibility Review Committee (CERC), established in April 2022; the CERC consists of the chairperson, 2-4 official members, and 1-3 non-official members, all appointed by the chief executive
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%; note - Hong Kong's leading pro-democracy political parties boycotted the 2021 election
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/