Hong Kong
Hong Kong Special Administrative RegionXianggang Tebie Xingzhengqu
NAIndependence none (special administrative region of China)
Hong Kong as the 2000 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 108 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.
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Introduction
1 fieldBackground
Occupied by the UK in 1841, Hong Kong was formally ceded by China the following year; various adjacent lands were added later in the 19th century. Pursuant to an agreement signed by China and the UK on 19 December 1984, Hong Kong became the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) of China on 1 July 1997. In this agreement, China has promised that, under its "one country, two systems" formula, China's socialist economic system will not be practiced in Hong Kong and that Hong Kong will enjoy a high degree of autonomy in all matters except foreign and defense affairs for the next 50 years.
Geography
Eastern Asia, bordering the South China Sea and China
17 fieldsLand useshare of 1,092 sq km
Climate
tropical monsoon; cool and humid in winter, hot and rainy from spring through summer, warm and sunny in fall
People
15 fieldsPer 1,000 population(2000 est.)
Male · female
Age structure
- 0-14 years:
- 18% (male 676,756; female 602,434)
- 15-64 years:
- 71% (male 2,520,473; female 2,563,355)
- 65 years and over:
- 11% (male 342,942; female 410,342) (2000 est.)
Sex ratio
- at birth:
- 1.07 male(s)/female
- under 15 years:
- 1.12 male(s)/female
- 15-64 years:
- 0.98 male(s)/female
- 65 years and over:
- 0.84 male(s)/female
- total population:
- 0.99 male(s)/female (2000 est.)
Government
NA; President of China JIANG Zemin (since 27 March 1993); Chief Executive TUNG Chee-hwa (since 1 July 1997)
19 fieldsLegislative Council or LEGCO, 60 seats, elected 25 May 1998one dot, one seat
Country name
- conventional long form:
- Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
- conventional short form:
- Hong Kong
- local long form:
- Xianggang Tebie Xingzhengqu
- local short form:
- Xianggang
- abbreviation:
- HK
National holiday
National Day, 1-2 October; note - 1 July 1997 is celebrated as Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Establishment Day
Constitution
Basic Law approved in March 1990 by China's National People's Congress is Hong Kong's "mini-constitution"
Suffrage
- direct election 18 years of age;
- universal for permanent residents living in the territory of Hong Kong for the past seven years;
- indirect election limited to about 100,000 members of functional constituencies and an 800-member election committee drawn from broad regional groupings, municipal organizations, and central government bodies
Executive branch
- chief of state:
- President of China JIANG Zemin (since 27 March 1993)
- head of government:
- Chief Executive TUNG Chee-hwa (since 1 July 1997)
- cabinet:
- Executive Council consists of three ex-officio members and 10 appointed members;
- ex-officio members are: Chief Secretary Anson CHAN (since 29 November 1993), Financial Secretary Donald TSANG (since 7 March 1995), and Secretary of Justice Elsie LEUNG (since 1 July 1997)
- elections:
- NA
Legislative branch
unicameral Legislative Council or LEGCO (60 seats; 30 indirectly elected by functional constituencies, 20 elected by popular vote, and 10 elected by an 800-member election committee; members serve four-year terms)
- elections:
- last held 25 May 1998 (early elections scheduled to be held in September 2000)
- election results:
- percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - Democratic Party 13, Liberal Party 9, Democratic Alliance for the Betterment of Hong Kong 9, Hong Kong Progressive Alliance 5, Frontier Party 3, Citizens Party 1, independents 20
Political parties and leaders
- Association for Democracy and People's Livelihood [Frederick FUNG Kin-kee, chairman];
- Citizens Party [Christine LOH Kung-wai, chairwoman];
- Democratic Alliance for the Betterment of Hong Kong [Jasper TSANG Yok-sing, chairman];
- Democratic Party [Martin LEE Chu-ming, chairman];
- Frontier Party [Emily LAU Wai-hing, chairwoman];
- Hong Kong Progressive Alliance [Ambrose LAU Hon-chuen];
- Liberal Party [James TIEN Pei-chun, chairman]
note: political blocs include: pro-democracy - Association for Democracy and People's Livelihood, Citizens Party, Democratic Party, Frontier Party;
pro-Beijing - Democratic Alliance for the Betterment of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Progressive Alliance, Liberal Party
Political pressure groups and leaders
- Chinese General Chamber of Commerce (pro-China);
- Chinese Manufacturers' Association of Hong Kong;
- Confederation of Trade Unions (pro-democracy) [LEE Cheuk-yan, chairman];
- Federation of Hong Kong Industries;
- Federation of Trade Unions (pro-China) [LEE Chark-tim, president];
- Hong Kong Alliance in Support of the Patriotic Democratic Movement in China [Szeto WAH, chairman];
- Hong Kong and Kowloon Trade Union Council (pro-Taiwan);
- Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce;
- Hong Kong Professional Teachers' Union [CHEUNG Man-kwong, president];
- Liberal Democratic Federation [HU Fa-kuang, chairman]
International organization participation
APEC, AsDB, BIS, CCC, ESCAP (associate), ICFTU, IMO (associate), Interpol (subbureau), IOC, ISO (correspondent), WCL, WMO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation from the US
- chief of mission:
- Consul General Richard A. BOUCHER
- consulate(s) general:
- 26 Garden Road, Hong Kong
- mailing address:
- PSC 464, Box 30, FPO AP 96522-0002
- telephone:
- [852] 2523-9011
- FAX:
- [852] 2845-1598
Economy
Hong Kong has a bustling free market economy highly dependent on international trade.
31 fieldsGDP - composition by sector(1997 est.)
Trading partnersexports left, imports right
Electricity
Economy - overview
Hong Kong has a bustling free market economy highly dependent on international trade. Natural resources are limited, and food and raw materials must be imported. Indeed, imports and exports, including reexports, each exceed GDP in dollar value. Even before Hong Kong reverted to Chinese administration on 1 July 1997 it had extensive trade and investment ties with China.
Per capita GDP compares with the level in the four big countries of Western Europe. GDP growth averaged a strong 5% in 1989-97. The widespread Asian economic difficulties in 1998 hit this trade-dependent economy quite hard, with GDP down 5%. The economy is recovering, with growth of 1.8% in 1999 to be followed by projected growth of 3.7% in 2000.
Labor force - by occupation
wholesale and retail trade, restaurants, and hotels 31.9%, social services 9.9%, manufacturing 9.2%, financing, insurance, and real estate 13.1%, transport and communications 5.7%, construction 2.6%, other 27.6% (October 1998)
Imports - commodities
foodstuffs, transport equipment, raw materials, semimanufactures, petroleum; a large share is reexported
Exchange rates
- Hong Kong dollars (HK$) per US$ - 7.7780 (January 2000), 7.7575 (1999), 7.7453 (1998), 7.7427 (1997), 7.730 (1996), 7.800 (1995);
- note - Hong Kong became a special administrative region of China on 1 July 1997;
- before then, linked to the US dollar at the rate of about 7.8 HK$ per 1 US$
Communications
8 fieldsTelephone system
modern facilities provide excellent domestic and international services
- domestic:
- microwave radio relay links and extensive fiber-optic network
- international:
- satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (1 Pacific Ocean and 2 Indian Ocean);
- coaxial cable to Guangzhou, China;
- access to 5 international submarine cables providing connections to ASEAN member nations, Japan, Taiwan, Australia, Middle East, and Western Europe
Transportation
7 fieldsMerchant marine, 271 ships by type(1999 est.)
Airports by runway lengthpaved only
Networkskm
Military
8 fieldsMilitary branches
- Hong Kong garrison of China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) including elements of the PLA Ground Forces, PLA Navy, and PLA Air Force;
- these forces are under the direct leadership of the Central Military Commission in Beijing and under administrative control of the adjacent Guangzhou Military Region
Military expenditures - dollar figure
$NA; note - separate budget for Hong Kong not established by China
Transnational Issues
2 fieldsIllicit drugs
- a hub for Southeast Asian heroin trade;
- transshipment and money-laundering center;
- increasing indigenous amphetamine abuse [Country Listing] [ The World Factbook Home]
Cite this entry
Central Intelligence Agency. “Hong Kong.” The World Factbook 2000. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/hong-kong/2000.