Hong Kong Basic Law
The Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China is a national law of China that serves as the organic law for the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR). Comprising nine chapters, 160 articles and three annexes, the Basic Law was composed to implement Annex I of the 1984 Sino-British Joint Declaration.: 91
| Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China | |
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The cover of the Basic Law, published by the Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Bureau | |
| Overview | |
| Jurisdiction | Hong Kong |
| Subordinate to | Constitution of the People's Republic of China |
| Created | 4 April 1990 |
| Date effective | 1 July 1997 |
| Author(s) | Hong Kong Basic Law Drafting Committee |
| Signatories | Yang Shangkun, President of the People's Republic of China |
| Hong Kong Basic Law | |||||||||||||
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| Chinese | 香港基本法 | ||||||||||||
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| Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China | |||||||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 中華人民共和國香港特別行政區基本法 | ||||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 中华人民共和国香港特别行政区基本法 | ||||||||||||
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Politics and government of Hong Kong |
| Related topics Hong Kong portal |
The Basic Law was enacted under the Constitution of China when it was adopted by the National People's Congress on 4 April 1990 and came into effect on 1 July 1997 after the handover of Hong Kong. It replaced Hong Kong's colonial constitution of the Letters Patent and the Royal Instructions.
Drafted on the basis of the Joint Declaration, the Basic Law lays out the basic policies of China on Hong Kong, including the "one country, two systems" principle, such that the socialist governance and economic system then practised in mainland China would not be extended to Hong Kong. Instead, Hong Kong would continue its capitalist system and way of life until 2047. The Basic Law also sets out the sources of law, the relationship between Hong Kong and the Central Government (State Council), the fundamental rights and duties of Hong Kong residents and the branches of local government.