Flag of Hong Kong

The flag of Hong Kong, officially the regional flag of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the
People's Republic of China, depicts a white stylised five-petal Hong Kong orchid tree (Bauhinia blakeana)
flower in the center of a Chinese red field. Its design was adopted on 4 April 1990 at the Third Session of
the Seventh National People's Congress.[1] The precise use of the flag is regulated by laws passed by the
58th executive meeting of the State Council held in Beijing.[2] The design of the flag is enshrined in Hong
Kong's Basic Law, the territory's constitutional document,[3] and regulations regarding the use,
prohibition of use, desecration, and manufacture of the flag are stated in the Regional Flag and Regional
Emblem Ordinance.[4] The flag of Hong Kong was first officially hoisted on 1 July 1997, during the
handover ceremony marking the transfer of sovereignty from Britain to China.[5]

Politics of Hong Kong

The politics of Hong Kong takes place in a framework of a political system dominated by its quasi-
constitutional document, the Hong Kong Basic Law, its own legislature, the Chief Executive as the head
of government and of the Special Administrative Region and of a multi-party system. Executive power is
exercised by the government.

On 1 July 1997, sovereignty of Hong Kong was transferred to China (PRC), ending over one and a half
centuries of British rule. Hong Kong became a Special Administrative Region (SAR) of the PRC with a high
degree of autonomy in all matters except foreign affairs and defence, which are responsibilities of the
PRC government. According to the Sino-British Joint Declaration (1984) and the Basic Law, Hong Kong
will retain its political, economic and judicial systems and unique way of life and continue to participate
in international agreements and organisations as a dependent territory for at least 50 years after
retrocession. For instance, the International Olympic Committee recognises Hong Kong as a participating
dependency under the name, "Hong Kong, China", separate from the delegation from the People's
Republic of China.

The Economist Intelligence Unit has rated Hong Kong as "flawed democracy" in 2016.[1]

In accordance with Article 31 of the Constitution of the People's Republic of China, Hong Kong has
Special Administrative Region status which provides constitutional guarantees for implementing the
policy of "one country, two systems".[2] The Basic Law, Hong Kong's constitutional document, was
approved in March 1990 by National People's Congress of China, and entered into force upon the
transfer of sovereignty on 1 July 1997.
The Hong Kong government is economically liberal, but currently universal suffrage is only granted in
District Council elections, and in elections for half of the Legislative Council. The head of the government
(Chief Executive of Hong Kong) is elected through an electoral college with the majority of its members
elected by a limited number of voters mainly within business and professional sectors.

The three branches

Executive branch

Main article: Hong Kong Government

The Chief Executive (CE) is the head of the special administrative region, and is also the highest-ranking
official in the Government of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, and is the head of the executive
branch.

The Chief Executive is elected by a 1200-member Election Committee drawn mostly from the voters in
the functional constituencies but also from religious organisations and municipal and central
government bodies. The Executive Council, the top policy organ of the executive government that
advises on policy matters, is entirely appointed by the Chief Executive.[3]

Legislative branch

Main article: Legislative Council of Hong Kong

In accordance with Article 26 of the Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region,
permanent residents of Hong Kong are eligible to vote in direct elections for the 35 seats representing
geographical constituencies and 35 seats from a functional constituency in the 70-seat, unicameral
Legislative Council (LegCo).[4]

The franchise for the other 30 seats is limited to about 230,000 voters in the other functional
constituencies (mainly composed of business and professional sectors).

Judicial branch

Main article: Judiciary of Hong Kong

The Judiciary consists of a series of courts, of which the court of final adjudication is the Court of Final
Appeal.
While Hong Kong retains the common law system, the Standing Committee of the National People's
Congress of China has the power of final interpretation of national laws affecting Hong Kong, including
the Basic Law, and its opinions are therefore binding on Hong Kong courts on a prospective basis.

Government of Hong Kong

The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China,
commonly referred to as the Hong Kong Government or HKSAR Government, refers to the executive
authorities of Hong Kong SAR. It was formed in July 1997 in accordance with the Sino-British Joint
Declaration, an international treaty in force and lodged at the United Nations. This government replaced
the former British Hong Kong Government (1842-1997). The HKSAR Government is led by the Chief
Executive, who nominates its principal officials for appointment by the State Council of the People's
Republic of China (Central People's Government).

The Government Secretariat is headed by the Chief Secretary of Hong Kong, who is the most senior
principal official of the Government. The Chief Secretary and the other secretaries jointly oversee the
administration of the SAR, give advice to the Chief Executive as members of the Executive Council, and
are accountable for their actions and policies to the Chief Executive and the Legislative Council.[1]

Under the "one country, two systems" constitutional principle, the Government is, in law, exclusively in
charge of Hong Kong's internal affairs and external relations. The Government of the People's Republic
of China (PRC), of which the Hong Kong government is financially independent, is responsible for Hong
Kong's defence and foreign policy. Despite gradually evolving, the overall governmental structure was
inherited from British Hong Kong.

Head of government

Main article: Chief Executive of Hong Kong

The Chief Executive is the head of Region and head of government of Hong Kong. The Basic Law
designates a system of governance led by a Chief Executive and an Executive Council, with a two-tiered
system of semi-representative government and an independent judiciary. The Chief Executive is elected
by an Election Committee, a 1200-member electoral college consisting of individuals and bodies (i.e.
special interest groups) elected within 28 functional constituencies defined in the Basic Law. The winner
is then appointed to the position by the Premier of the People's Republic of China. The Chief Executive is
responsible for implementing the Basic Law, signing bills and budgets, promulgating laws, making
decisions on government policies, and issuing Executive Orders.
As of 1 July 1997, the Chief Executive of Hong Kong officially replaced the Governor of Hong Kong as the
head of the government for Hong Kong following the transfer of sovereignty. The Chief Executive is
assisted by the Chief Secretary for Administration and the Financial Secretary, and other secretaries who
heads policy bureaus. The secretaries for each government affairs are appointed by the Central People's
Government on the nomination of the Chief Executive. The Secretary for Justice (SJ) is responsible for
legal matters of the government and prosecution for criminal cases in the territory. The Independent
Commission Against Corruption and Audit Commission report directly to the Chief Executive. The
current Chief Executive is Carrie Lam.

History

Hong kong is an independent country of China. This means, they control and govern themselves,
separate from mainland China. Originally, a British Colony, HK was given back to Mainland in 1941 when
the Japanese people occupied HongKong.

Hong Kong is located at the

very southern par t of China, a

cross from Shenzhen. HongKong Location

 Britain occupied the island of Hong Kong on 25 January 1841 and used it as a military staging
point. China was defeated and was forced to cede Hong Kong to Britain in the Treaty of Nanking
signed on 29 August 1842. Hong Kong became a Crown Colony of the British Empire
 The New Territories, with a 99-year lease, were the only territories forming the Crown colony of
Hong Kong, that were obliged by agreement, to be returned.
 The Imperial Japanese occupation of Hong Kong (香港日據時期) began when the Governor of
Hong Kong, Sir Mark Young, surrendered the British Crown colony of Hong Kong to the Empire
of Japan on 25 December 1941. The surrender occurred after 18 days of fierce fighting against
the overwhelming Japanese forces that had invaded the territory.[5][6] The occupation lasted
for three years and eight months until Japan surrendered at the end of Second World War. The
length of this period (三年零八個月) later became a metonym of the occupation.[6]
 The Four Asian Tigers or Asian Dragons are the highly developed economies of Hong Kong,
Singapore, South Korea and Taiwan. These regions were the first newly industrialized countries.
They are known because they had very high growth rates (they became rich very fast) and fast
industrialization between the early 1960s and 1990s. Four economies are currently well rich
economies (developed countries).[1]

 All four Asian Tigers have a highly educated and productive work force compared to others in
the region.
The economic success of South Korea and Taiwan were known as the "Miracle on the Han River"
and the "Taiwan Miracle" respectively.[2][3][4]
The four tigers has accomplished rapid economic growth in a short period of time.
All the Asian Tigers tried to export (sell) products to rich industrialized nations. They grew rich
very quickly (they had double-digit economic growth) for decades. Each nation was not a
democracy, and people were not very free in the early years. All of these countries later became
freer, and people now think Taiwan and Korea are liberal democracies. [5]