Hong Kong WATCH 38

The UK seized Hong Kong in 1841, and China formally ceded it the following year at the end of the First Opium War. The Kowloon Peninsula was added in 1860 at the end of the Second Opium War, and the UK obtained a 99-year lease of the New Territories in 1898. Pursuant to a UK-China agreement in 1984, Hong Kong became the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) of the People's Republic of China as of 1 July 1997. In this agreement, China promised that, under its "one country, two systems" formula, China's socialist economic and strict political system would not be imposed on Hong Kong and that Hong Kong would enjoy a "high degree of autonomy" in all matters except foreign and defense affairs for the next 50 years. After the handover, Hong Kong continued to enjoy success as an international financial center. However, growing Chinese political influence and dissatisfaction with the Hong Kong Government in the 2010s became central issues and led to considerable civil unrest, including large-scale pro-democracy demonstrations in 2019 after the HKSAR attempted to revise a local ordinance to allow extraditions to mainland China. In response to the protests, the governments of the HKSAR and China reduced the city's autonomy and placed new restrictions on the rights of Hong Kong residents, moves that were widely criticized as contravening obligations under the Hong Kong Basic Law and the Sino-British Joint Declaration. Democratic lawmakers and political figures were arrested in a widespread crackdown, while others fled abroad. At the same time, dozens of civil society groups …

Eastern Asia, bordering the South China Sea and China

total : 1,108 sq km land: 1,073 sq km water: 35 sq km

outstanding deepwater harbor, feldspar

occasional typhoons

total: 7,305,556 (2025 est.) male: 3,367,222 female: 3,938,334

Chinese 91.6%, Filipino 2.7%, Indonesian 1.9%, other 3.7% (2021 est.)

Cantonese (official) 85.4%, English (official) 4.5%, Putonghua (official) 2.2%, other Chinese dialects 2.8%, other 2%, persons under 5 or mute 3.2% (2021 est.) major-language sample(s): 世界概况, 必須擁有的基本資料参考书 (Cantonese) The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information. note: data represent population by usual spoken language

Buddhist or Taoist 27.9%, Protestant 6.7%, Roman Catholic 5.3%, Muslim 4.2%, Hindu 1.4%, Sikh 0.2%, other or none 54.3% (2016 est.) note: many people practice Confucianism, regardless of their religion or not having a religious affiliation

air and water pollution from rapid urbanization; urban waste pollution; industrial pollution

presidential limited democracy; a special administrative region of the People's Republic of China

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 election/appointment process: president indirectly elected by National People's Congress for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term); chief executive indirectly elected by the Election Committee and appointed by the PRC Government for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term) most recent election date: president: 10 March 2023 chief executive: 8 May 2022 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) expected date of next election: president: March 2028 chief executive: 2027 note: electoral changes that Beijing imposed in March 2021 expanded the Election Committee to 1,500 members

legislature name: Legislative Council or LegCo legislative structure: unicameral number of seats: 90 electoral system: 20 members directly elected; 70 members indirectly elected scope of elections: full most recent election date: 7 December 2025 parties elected and seats per party: Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (DAB) 20, Federation of Hong Kong and Kowloon Trade Unions (HKFTU) 8, Business and Professionals Alliance for Hong Kong (BPA) 7, Liberal (LP) 4, New People's Party (NPP) 3, Hong Kong Federation of Education Workers (HKFEW) 2, Federation of Hong Kong and Kowloon Labour Unions (HKFLU) 2, Professional Power (PP) 1, Roundtable (RT) 1, New Territories Association of Societies (NTAS) 1, Kowloon West New Dynamic (KWND) 1, Independents 40 expected date of next election: December 2029 note: all political candidates are evaluated by the Candidate Eligibility Review Committee (CERC), which was established in April 2022; CERC members are all appointed by the chief executive

$497.88 billion (2024 est.) $485.541 billion (2023 est.) $470.42 billion (2022 est.) note: data in 2021 dollars

$66,200 (2024 est.) $64,400 (2023 est.) $64,000 (2022 est.) note: data in 2021 dollars

1.7% (2024 est.) 2.1% (2023 est.) 1.9% (2022 est.) note: annual % change based on consumer prices

China 22%, Vietnam 12%, S. Korea 8%, Netherlands 5%, Switzerland 4% (2023) note: top five export partners based on percentage share of exports

China 40%, Taiwan 10%, Singapore 7%, Japan 5%, S. Korea 4% (2023) note: top five import partners based on percentage share of imports

Hong Kong Police Force (specialized units include the Police Counterterrorism Response Unit, the Explosive Ordnance Disposal Bureau, the Special Duties Unit, the Airport Security Unit, and the VIP Protection Unit) China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) Hong Kong Garrison is responsible for defense duties; the garrison includes elements of the PLA Army, PLA Navy, and PLA Air Force and are under the direct leadership of the Central Military Commission in Beijing and under administrative control of the adjacent Southern Theater Command (2025)