The special administrative regions (SAR) of the People's Republic of China are one of four types of province-level divisions of the People's Republic of China directly under the control of its Central People's Government,being integral areas of the country. As a region,they possess the highest degree of autonomy from China's central government. However,despite the relative autonomy that the Central People's Government offers the special administrative regions,the National People's Congress and its Standing Committee remains capable of enforcing laws for the special administrative regions.
"Mainland China",also referred to as "the Chinese mainland",is a geopolitical term defined as the territory under direct administration of the People's Republic of China (PRC) in the aftermath of the Chinese Civil War. In addition to the geographical mainland,the geopolitical sense of the term includes islands such as Hainan,Chongming,and Zhoushan. By convention,territories outside of mainland China include:
"One country,two systems" is a constitutional principle of the People's Republic of China (PRC) describing the governance of the special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macau.
The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region,commonly known as the Hong Kong Government or HKSAR Government,is the executive authorities of Hong Kong. It was formed on 1 July 1997 in accordance with the Sino-British Joint Declaration of 1983,an international treaty lodged at the United Nations. This government replaced the former British Hong Kong Government (1842–1997). The Chief Executive and the principal officials are appointed by the State Council of the People's Republic of China. 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 Hong Kong,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.
China Post,officially the China Post Group Corporation,is the national postal service corporation of the People's Republic of China. It is incorporated as a state-owned enterprise.
The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region passport is a passport issued only to permanent residents of Hong Kong who also hold Chinese citizenship. In accordance with the Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region,since the handover in 1997,the passport has been issued by the Immigration Department of the Government of Hong Kong under the authorisation of the Central People's Government of the People's Republic of China. As the official languages of Hong Kong are Chinese and English,the passport is printed bilingually in both Chinese and English. In addition,unlike Chinese passport which can be issued by Chinese diplomatic missions abroad,the Immigration Department of Hong Kong is the only issuing authority for HKSAR passports.
A People's Republic of China Permit for Proceeding to Hong Kong and Macao,or One-way Permit,is a document issued by the People's Republic of China allowing residents of mainland China to leave the mainland permanently to settle in Hong Kong or Macau.
The Macao Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of Chinapassport is a passport issued to Chinese citizens who are permanent residents of the Chinese Special Administrative Region of Macau.
The Government of the Macau Special Administrative Region,commonly known as the Macau Government,is the executive authorities of Macau. Formed on 20 December 1999 in accordance with the Sino-Portuguese Joint Declaration,it is headed by secretariats or commissioners and report directly to the chief executive. The affairs of the government are decided by secretaries,who are appointed by the chief executive and endorsed by the State Council of the Central People's Government in Beijing. As a special administrative region of China,Macau has a high degree of autonomy,in light of the "One Country,Two Systems" policy. The Macau Government,financially independent from the Central People's Government,oversees the affairs of Macau.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China is the first-ranked executive department of the State Council of the People's Republic of China,responsible for the country's foreign relations. It is led by the minister of foreign affairs,currently Wang Yi,who serves as the nation's principal representative abroad. The ministry is headquartered in Chaoyang District,Beijing,the country's primary diplomatic quarter.
The handover of Macau from the Portuguese Republic to the People's Republic of China was at midnight on 20 December 1999. This event ended 442 years of Portuguese rule in the former settlement,which began in 1557.
The People's Republic of China passport is a passport issued to citizens of the People's Republic of China for the purpose of international travel,and entitles its bearer to the protection of China's consular officials overseas.
There are 122 diplomatic missions in Hong Kong,of which 61 are consulates-general and 61 are consulates and six officially recognised bodies in Hong Kong. As Hong Kong has the status of a Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China,some consuls-general in Hong Kong report directly to their respective foreign ministries,rather than to their Embassies in Beijing.
The Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Hong Kong (TECO) is the representative office of the Republic of China (Taiwan) in Hong Kong. Its counterpart body in Taiwan is the Hong Kong Economic,Trade and Cultural Office in Taiwan.
The Consulate General of Canada in Hong Kong and Macao represents Canada in the Hong Kong and Macau Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China. As Hong Kong was linked to the Commonwealth during British administration,Canada's mission was called the Canadian Commission before the transfer of sovereignty to China on July 1,1997. Since 1980,the Head of Mission in Hong Kong has also served as Consul-General to Macau.
The Hong Kong and Macau Work Office,concurrently known as the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council (HMO),is an administrative office of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party responsible for promoting cooperation and coordination of political,economic,and cultural ties between mainland China and the Chinese Special Administrative Regions of Hong Kong and Macau. It was formed in 2023 on the basis of then State Council's HKMAO. Its head office is in Xicheng District,Beijing.
There are 15 consular missions in Macau,of which four are consulates-general,one is a consular office and ten are honorary consuls.
The Civil Aviation Authority is the civil aviation authority in the special administrative region of Macau,China and is responsible for controlling and regulating air its traffic and airspace.
The Central Leading Group on Hong Kong and Macau Affairs is an internal policy coordination group of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP),reporting to the CCP Politburo,in charge of supervising and coordinating Beijing's policy towards the Special Administrative Regions of Hong Kong and Macau.
Deng Zhonghua is a Chinese government official. He was appointed as the Deputy Director of the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office (HKMAO) in 2018.
