Hong Kong Overview
China Net | Time: November 7, 2005 | Article source: Website of the Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Hong Kong
1. Geography, Population and Language
Geography The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region is located in the southern part of the Pearl River Delta, east of the Pearl River Estuary, bordered by the South China Sea to the east and south, and separated by the Shenzhen River to the north. It has a land area of ??1,103 square kilometers and consists of Hong Kong Island, Kowloon Peninsula, the New Territories and Composed of more than 260 outlying islands, Hong Kong Island and the Kowloon Peninsula are the political, economic, cultural and transportation center areas of Hong Kong. Hong Kong's climate is subtropical oceanic, with an average annual temperature of 23.3°C.
Population As of mid-2003, the total population of Hong Kong was 6.82 million, of which 94.4% were Chinese and 5.6% were foreigners. The population density was 6,320 people per square kilometer.
Language According to the provisions of the Basic Law, in addition to Chinese, the administrative, legislative and judicial organs of the Hong Kong SAR can also use English. Chinese and English are both official languages. Cantonese is the most commonly spoken language in Hong Kong.
2. History
Three Unequal Treaties Hong Kong has been China’s territory since ancient times. In 1840, Britain launched the Opium War, forcing the Qing government to sign the Treaty of Nanjing in 1842 and cede Hong Kong Island. In 1856, the British and French forces launched the Second Opium War, forcing the Qing government to sign the Treaty of Beijing in 1860, ceding the southern tip of the Kowloon Peninsula to the south of present-day Boundary Street. After the Sino-Japanese War of 1898-1898, Britain forced the Qing government to sign the "Special Treaty on Expanding the Boundary Site of Hong Kong" in 1898, forcibly leasing a large area of ??land in the northern part of the Kowloon Peninsula north of Boundary Street and south of the Shenzhen River, as well as more than 230 nearby islands ( Later collectively referred to as the "New Territories"), the lease term is 99 years.
Sino-British Negotiations on the Hong Kong Issue In the early 1980s, under the guidance of the "one country, two systems" policy proposed by Mr. Deng Xiaoping, the Chinese government began negotiations with the British government to resolve the Hong Kong issue. Since October 1982, the Chinese and British governments have held 22 rounds of formal negotiations on the Hong Kong issue, and finally reached an agreement on September 18, 1984. On December 19, the Chinese Prime Minister and the British Prime Minister signed the "Joint Statement on the Question of Hong Kong between the Government of the People's Republic of China and the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland" (referred to as the Sino-British Joint Statement) in Beijing. On May 27, 1985, the two governments exchanged letters of ratification in Beijing, and the Sino-British Joint Declaration officially came into effect. Hong Kong entered a 12-year transition period before China resumed the exercise of sovereignty.
On December 11, 1996, when Hong Kong returned to China, the first Selection Committee of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region elected Tung Chee-hwa as the candidate for the first Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. After being appointed by the central government, Tung Chee-hwa appointed members of the first Executive Council of the SAR on January 24, 1997. On February 20, the central government appointed 23 key officials of the first government of the SAR based on Tung Chee-hwa's nomination. At midnight on June 30, 1997, the Hong Kong regime handover ceremony between the Chinese and British governments was held in the new wing of the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center. The Chinese People's Liberation Army Hong Kong Garrison troops arrived at various camps in Hong Kong at the same time to perform effective defense, marking the Chinese government's official resumption of the exercise of sovereignty over Hong Kong. , the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China was immediately established.
3. Political Structure
The head of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region is the Chief Executive, who represents the SAR and is responsible to the central government. The SAR Government is the administrative agency of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. The policy-making departments and bureaus of the SAR government are responsible for formulating policies and proposing bills. Departments and offices are responsible for enforcing laws and policies and providing direct services to the public. The Executive Council is responsible for advising the Chief Executive on important decisions.
The Legislative Council is the legislative body of the SAR. It is responsible for formulating, amending and repealing laws in accordance with the provisions of the Basic Law and in accordance with legal procedures, reviewing and passing the fiscal budget based on the government's proposals, approving taxes and public expenditures, and supervising Performance of administrative agencies. At the same time, the SAR also has non-governmental regional organizations, namely 18 district councils, which receive consultation from the Hong Kong SAR government on relevant regional management and other matters, or are responsible for providing cultural, recreational, environmental sanitation and other services.
The courts at all levels in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region are the judicial organs of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and exercise the judicial power of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. The judicial organs of the Hong Kong SAR include the Court of Final Appeal, the High Court, the District Court, the Magistrates' Courts and other specialized courts. The High Court has an appeals division and a first instance division.
The SAR government has implemented an accountability system for principal officials since July 1, 2002. According to this system, the original 3 departments and 16 bureaus of the SAR government were adjusted to 3 departments and 11 bureaus. The three directors and 11 directors are all the main officials of the accountability system. They are no longer civil servants and are "politically appointed" by the Chief Executive. Responsible to the Chief Executive; departments and directors are appointed on a contract basis for the same term as the Chief Executive who recommended their appointment.
The Chief Executive can terminate their contracts at any time; all principal officials of the accountability system are members of the Executive Council; principal officials of the accountability system must be responsible for the policies within their areas of responsibility. If there are serious mistakes or personal They may need to resign due to ethics and other issues.
4. Legal system
Hong Kong is a common law system. According to the Basic Law, Hong Kong’s original laws shall be retained unless they conflict with the Basic Law or have been modified by the Hong Kong SAR Legislature. The laws currently applicable to the Hong Kong SAR are the Basic Law, the national laws listed in Annex III of the Basic Law, the original laws of Hong Kong and the laws enacted by the SAR legislature. The Hong Kong SAR enjoys legislative power. The Basic Law stipulates that the Hong Kong SAR enjoys independent judicial power and final adjudication power, but the Hong Kong SAR courts have no jurisdiction over national defense, diplomacy and other state activities; the principle of the jury system originally implemented in Hong Kong shall be retained.
5. Economic Situation
Hong Kong is a highly export-oriented city. In the past 20 years, the overall economy has more than doubled. GDP per capita ($23,030 in 2003) is second only to Japan in Asia. Hong Kong's economy is strong. As of the end of August 2004, its foreign exchange reserves were US$118.5 billion, ranking fifth in the world. Hong Kong's economic structure is dominated by the service industry. The primary, secondary and tertiary industries account for about 0.1%, 13% and 87% of the economy respectively. Among them, the financial industry, real estate industry, trade and logistics industry account for Larger, accounting for about 35% of GDP.
Hong Kong is a major international finance, trade, shipping, tourism and information center in the Asia-Pacific region. It is currently the world's eleventh largest trading entity, the twelfth largest banking center, the sixth largest foreign exchange trading market and Asia's The second largest stock market, it has the busiest container port in the world and is also a major gold trading center. Hong Kong is one of the most open economies in the world, with free entry and exit of goods and capital. It has been rated as one of the freest and most competitive economies in the world by international organizations for many years in a row.
The Hong Kong government has always pursued market-led liberal economic policies, created a favorable business environment, encouraged fair competition, and defended and promoted Hong Kong's business interests internationally. Since October 1983, Hong Kong has implemented a linked exchange rate system pegged to the U.S. dollar, fixing the Hong Kong dollar exchange rate at HK$7.8 per U.S. dollar in order to maintain currency exchange rate stability.
Hong Kong implements a simple and low tax system and adopts the concept of geographical source tax system, that is, only income from Hong Kong is subject to tax. The main types of taxes include profits tax, salaries tax and property tax, gaming tax, stamp duty on property and stock transactions, and taxes on certain designated commodities such as tobacco, alcohol, and hydrocarbon oil. Other sources of government revenue include fees for government services, rates, land funds, property and investment returns, income from land transactions, etc.
Hong Kong’s service industry plays an important role in the economy. The financial services industry is mainly reflected in the developed banking industry. 74 of the world's top 100 banks are operating in Hong Kong. Their business is mainly external, about 55% is in foreign currencies, and they are mainly engaged in retail and wholesale banking business; Hong Kong also It is also one of the most open insurance industry centers in the world. Trade in services mainly includes civil aviation, shipping, tourism, trade-related services and tourism services. In terms of total service export value, Hong Kong ranks second after Japan in the Asia-Pacific region and ninth in the world. After nearly 20 years of development, Hong Kong's service industry has accounted for 87% of GDP in 2002 from 67% in 1980. Currently, there are more than 270,000 service industry organizations in Hong Kong, accounting for approximately 94% of the total number of commercial organizations in Hong Kong, employing approximately 1.95 million workers, accounting for approximately 89% of the total number of employees in commercial organizations in Hong Kong.
Since the implementation of reform and opening up in the mainland of China in 1978, the economic ties between Hong Kong and the mainland have become increasingly close, and trade and investment have grown significantly. The mainland is Hong Kong's largest trading partner, and Hong Kong is also the mainland's third largest trading partner and second largest export market.
Hong Kong is the mainland's largest source of foreign capital. In addition to providing direct investment, Hong Kong is also raising funds for the mainland. The main financing methods include bank loans, issuance of bonds and stocks, etc. In terms of direct investment, as of the end of June 2004, Hong Kong's realized direct investment in the mainland reached US$233 billion, accounting for about 44% of the total foreign direct investment absorbed by the mainland. The mainland also has huge investments in Hong Kong. Currently, there are more than 2,000 Chinese-funded enterprises in Hong Kong officially approved by the state, with total assets of US$220 billion. Chinese-funded enterprises have become an important part of Hong Kong's economy, and their businesses involve almost every field. Chinese-funded enterprises account for about 25% of the market share in shipping and tourism. The deposits of Chinese banks account for 23% of the total bank deposits in Hong Kong, while the loans account for 22%. The market share of the Chinese construction industry accounts for about 15%. By the end of October 2003, there were 247 mainland state-owned enterprises and Chinese-funded enterprises in Hong Kong listed in Hong Kong, accounting for 24% of the total number of listed companies in Hong Kong; the market value was approximately HK$1,439.8 billion, accounting for 28% of the total market value of the Hong Kong stock market.
In June 2003, the Mainland and Hong Kong signed the Mainland and Hong Kong Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement (CEPA). The agreement came into effect on January 1, 2004, and various Products and services entering the mainland enjoy preferential treatment. Among them, 273 Hong Kong products can enjoy zero tariffs, and 18 service industries can enjoy preferential treatment for further market opening. In mid-2004, the Mainland and Hong Kong signed the second phase of the Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement. Starting from August 2003, residents of Beijing, Shanghai, Guangdong Province, and nine cities in Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Fujian provinces can travel to Hong Kong as individuals (i.e., "free travel"). (Note: As of November 2004) (Supplementary information: Since July 28, 2003, with the approval of the State Council, Guangdong Province, Beijing City, Shanghai City, Fuzhou City, Fujian Province (limited to urban areas), Xiamen, Quanzhou City, Jiangsu Province Nanjing, Suzhou and Wuxi cities in the province, Hangzhou, Ningbo and Taizhou cities in the Zhejiang province, Tianjin and Chongqing cities (limited to 15 districts and counties), Shenyang and Dalian cities in the Liaoning province, Jinan city in the Shandong province and Chengdu city in the Sichuan province and other provinces and cities Starting from May 1, 2006, individual travel to Hong Kong and Macao has been launched for residents in Nanchang City in Jiangxi Province, Changsha City in Hunan Province, Nanning City in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Haikou City in Hainan Province, Guiyang City in Guizhou Province and Kunming City in Yunnan Province. As of December 31, 2005, the public security bureau’s exit and entry administration departments had approved 21.052 million individual applications from mainland residents to travel to Hong Kong and Macao, including 11.597 million to Hong Kong and 9.455 million to Macau. Source: China News Service, 2006. April 20)
6. Public transportation and mass media
Hong Kong has a developed three-dimensional water, land and air transportation system, and public transportation is very developed. . Hong Kong has a total length of 1,936 kilometers of traffic roads and currently has 12 traffic tunnels (including three undersea tunnels), of which 7 are government tunnels and the other 5 are private tunnels. The main means of transportation include railways, buses and minibuses, taxis, as well as trams, ferries, cable cars and other means of transportation. The average daily passenger carrying capacity of public transportation in Hong Kong accounts for approximately 90% of the total passenger carrying capacity. Licensed private cars account for 64.8% of the total number of vehicles in Hong Kong.
Hong Kong has developed media industries and information technology, and is the Asia-Pacific media center and international information center. About 96 international media organizations have offices in Hong Kong. Hong Kong *** has 854 registered publications, including 44 newspapers (21 Chinese newspapers) and 810 periodicals and magazines (556 Chinese magazines). It is the largest Chinese publication center in the world and one of the regions with the largest number of newspaper readers in Asia. one. There are more than 200 local and non-local television program channels in Hong Kong, broadcasting in different languages. The two free television service licensees are Hong Kong Television Broadcasts Limited (TVB) and Asia Television Limited (ATV), five pay television service licensees and 14 non-local television service licensees It can provide paid program services to nearly 2.1 million households, and more than 720,000 households in residential or commercial buildings can use the satellite TV public antenna system to watch free satellite TV programs. In addition, Hong Kong Phoenix TV, as an international Chinese-language satellite electronic media, its satellite programs cover nearly 100 countries and regions in Asia, Europe, North America and Oceania.
There are three radio stations in Hong Kong. Radio Television Hong Kong is a public radio station, and Hong Kong Commercial Broadcasting Co., Ltd. and Metro Broadcasting Co., Ltd. are private radio stations.
The Information Services Department of the SAR Government serves as the government’s public relations consultant and is responsible for the government’s publishing, publicity and news work. It serves as a bridge between the government and the media, and allows the public to have a clearer understanding of government policies, work and services through the media. (Note: As of November 2004)
7. Hong Kong’s relations with foreign countries
The Hong Kong SAR has ten economic and trade offices in foreign countries, each located in Geneva , Brussels, London, Toronto, Tokyo, Singapore, Sydney, Washington, New York and San Francisco. Except for the main responsibility of the Economic and Trade Office in Geneva, which is to represent Hong Kong in participating in World Trade Organization affairs, the main responsibility of other economic and trade offices is to promote Hong Kong's economic and trade interests in relevant countries or regions. Each economic and trade office plays important functions in the three areas of promoting foreign trade relations, corporate relations and investment promotion.
Currently, 111 countries have stationed consulates in Hong Kong, including 56 consulates general and 55 honorary consuls. At present, some countries are negotiating with my country to establish consular agreements in Hong Kong, and the number of foreign consular offices in Hong Kong will continue to increase.
At present, five international organizations, including the International Monetary Fund, the Bank for International Settlements, the United Nations Refugee Agency, and the International Finance Corporation, have established branches in Hong Kong; as of June 2004, foreign and mainland enterprises have established branches in Hong Kong. The number of regional headquarters reached 1,098, a record high.
Before Hong Kong's return to the motherland, foreign heads of state and government generally visited Hong Kong for work, transit or personal visits. After Hong Kong's return to the motherland, as of November 2004, the Hong Kong SAR government had received more than 50 foreign heads of state, heads of government and senior ministers for official visits to Hong Kong.