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Hong Kongers in the United Kingdom

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73-645: Hong Kongers in the United Kingdom (also known as Hong Kong Britons ) are people from Hong Kong who are residing in the United Kingdom or British nationals of Hong Kong origin or descent. The 2021 United Kingdom census recorded a total population of about 135,300 Hong Kong-born residents. Since the implementation of the British National (Overseas) visa route in the same year, 144,400 BN(O) status holders from Hong Kong have arrived in

146-561: A resident of Hong Kong , although they may also refer to others who were born and/or raised in the territory. The earliest inhabitants of Hong Kong were indigenous villagers such as the Punti and Tanka , who inhabited the area prior to British colonization . Though Hong Kong is home to a number of people of different racial and ethnic origins , the overwhelming majority of Hongkongers are of Han Chinese descent. Many are Yue –speaking Cantonese peoples and trace their ancestral home to

219-740: A resident of Hong Kong , including permanent and non-permanent residents. According to the Oxford English Dictionary , the word Hongkonger first appeared in the English language in an 1870 edition of The Daily Independent , an American-based newspaper. In March 2014, both the terms Hongkonger and Hong Kongese were added to the Oxford English Dictionary . In contrast, the Merriam-Webster Dictionary of American English adopts

292-500: A unitary communist state , in which the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) enacts its policies through people's congresses. This system is based on the principle of unified state power , in which the legislature, the National People's Congress (NPC), is constitutionally enshrined as "the highest state organ of power." As China's political system has no separation of powers , there is only one branch of government which

365-483: A policy approach that combined centralized leadership with intense mass mobilization, and that this mode of governance is defined by continuous experimentation and improvisation. According to academics Jérôme Doyon and Chloé Froissart, the adaptive capacity resulting from a heritage of guerrilla warfare has made the CCP adept in dealing with uncertainty and has translated into a capacity to experiment first and then systemize

438-691: A poll conducted in December 2019, with the most notable spike occurring amongst younger residents. Following the passage of the 2020 Hong Kong National Security Law and a subsequent wave of emigrants from Hong Kong, that percentage has declined; in its latest poll published in June 2022, 39.1% of respondents identified as Hong Konger, 31.4% as Hong Konger in China, 17.6% as Chinese, 10.9% as Chinese in Hong Kong, and 42.4% as mixed identity. Mainland China holds

511-475: A precise legal definition of a Hong Kong resident. Under Article 24 of the Basic Law, Hong Kong residents can be further classified as permanent or non-permanent residents. Non-permanent residents are those who have the right to hold a Hong Kong Identity Card , but do not have the right to abode in Hong Kong . Permanent residents are those who have the right to hold a Hong Kong Permanent Identity Card as well as

584-579: A two-thirds majority in the NPC. The remaining seats are held by nominally independent delegates and eight minor political parties , which are non- oppositional and support the CCP. All government bodies and state-owned enterprises have internal CCP committees that lead the decision-making in these institutions. The NPC meets annually for about two weeks in March to review and approve major new policy directions, and in between those sessions, delegates its powers to

657-530: A unique identity under the rubric of One Country Two Systems . After the handover of Hong Kong, the University of Hong Kong surveyed Hong Kong residents about how they defined themselves. The number of Hong Kong residents identifying as "Hong Kongers" slowly increased over the decade of the 2010s, reaching a high watermark during and immediately following the 2019–2020 Hong Kong protests , with over 55 percent of all respondents identifying as "Hong Konger" in

730-666: Is Chinese, with 29.9 per cent having been born in mainland China , Taiwan or Macau . Historically, much of the Han Chinese trace their ancestral origins from Southern China as Chaoshan , Canton , Taishan , Fujian , Jiangxi , and Zhejiang . For example, in the 1850s–60s as a result of the Taiping Rebellion and in the 1940s prior to the establishment of the People's Republic of China in 1949. Thus, immigrants from Guangdong and their descendants have long constituted

803-571: Is assisted by several vice premiers , currently four, each of them overseeing a certain area of administration. The premier, vice premiers and the State Councilors collectively form the inner cabinet that regularly convenes for the State Council Executive Meeting. The State Council includes 26 constituent ministries, and officially oversees the provincial-level governments throughout China. Generally,

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876-479: Is more assertive than the NPC itself and has vetoed proposed laws. The CCP Politburo Standing Committee consists of the government's top leadership. Historically it has had five to nine members. As of 2024, it has seven members. Its officially mandated purpose is to conduct policy discussions and make decisions on major issues when the Politburo, a larger decision-making body, is not in session. According to

949-540: Is represented by the legislature. The CCP through the NPC enacts unified leadership, which requires that all state organs, from the Supreme People's Court to the President of China , are elected by, answerable to, and have no separate powers than those granted to them by the NPC. By law, all elections at all levels must adhere to the leadership of the CCP. The CCP controls appointments in all state bodies through

1022-413: Is the highest force for political leadership. The party's institutions overlap with government institutions and the party has authority over government decisions at both the local and central levels. Senior government officials throughout the country are appointed by the CCP, and are mostly CCP members. All government departments, state-owned enterprises and public institutes include CCP committees, from

1095-625: The Anglosphere include Americans , Britons , Canadians , Australians, New Zealanders. There are also small pockets of East Asian communities, such as the Japanese and Koreans , living in Hong Kong. Hong Kong culture is primarily a mix of Chinese and Western influences, stemming from Lingnan Cantonese roots and later fusing with British culture due to British colonialism (Chinese: 粵英薈萃 ; Jyutping: jyut6 jing1 wui6 seoi6 ). From 26 January 1841 to 30 June 1997, Hong Kong

1168-573: The Chinese economic reform , China has been characterized by a high degree of political centralization but significant economic decentralization. The central government sets the strategic direction while local officials carry it out, including developing the details of policy. Academics Sebastian Heilmann and Elizabeth Perry write that policy-making in China is influenced by the Chinese Communist Revolution , resulting in

1241-675: The Great Hall of the People on the west side of Tiananmen Square , Beijing . These annual meetings are usually timed to occur with the meetings of the CPPCC, providing an opportunity for the officers of state to review past policies and present future plans to the nation. The NPC generally has a reputation of approving the work of the State Council and not engaging in overmuch drafting of laws itself. However, it and its Standing Committee have occasionally asserted themselves. For example,

1314-517: The Hakka , Hokkien , and Teochew , residents who are Hong Kong-born and/or raised often assimilate into the mainstream Cantonese identity of Hong Kong and typically adopt Cantonese as their first language. In addition to the Han Chinese supermajority, Hong Kong's minority population also comprises many other different ethnic and national groups, with the largest non-Han Chinese groups being

1387-451: The territory's transfer to China in 1997, though a significant percentage returned in the years following. A new emigration wave occurred following the 2019–2020 Hong Kong protests and the United Kingdom's enactment of the BN(O) visa scheme . Government of China The government of the People's Republic of China is based on a system of people's congress within the parameters of

1460-875: The BN(O) visa pathway to citizenship have created several self-help organisations, including Hongkongers in Britain and the Sutton Hongkongers Group, to support and advocate for each other since the pathway was introduced. Many of these organisations were set up because new Hong Kong migrants often fear recently established Chinese community groups that are aligned with the government in Beijing . Hong Kong people Hongkongers ( Chinese : 香港人 ; Jyutping : Hoeng1gong2 jan4 ), Hong Kongers , Hong Kongese , Hongkongese , Hong Kong citizens and Hong Kong people are demonyms that refer to

1533-478: The CCP's Politburo Standing Committee . China's judicial organs are political organs that perform prosecutorial and court functions. Because of their political nature, China does not have judicial independence . China's courts are supervised by the Supreme People's Court (SPC), which answers to the NPC. The Supreme People's Procuratorate (SPP) is responsible for prosecutions and supervises procuracies at

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1606-696: The CCP's constitution, the General Secretary of the Central Committee must also be a member of the CCP Politburo Standing Committee. The membership of the PSC is strictly ranked in protocol sequence . Historically, the general secretary (or party chairman ) has been ranked first; the rankings of other leaders have varied over time. Since the 1990s, the general secretary (also the president), premier, chairman of

1679-535: The CCP, and effectively acts as the state arm of the CCDI. It replaced the former Ministry of Supervision . The Supreme People's Court is the judicial organ of the People's Republic of China and is subject to the control of the CCP's Central Political and Legal Affairs Commission . Hong Kong and Macau , as special administrative regions, have separate judicial systems based on British common law traditions and Portuguese civil-law traditions, respectively. The judges of

1752-619: The Central People's Government, consists of, besides the Premier, a variable number of vice premiers , five state councilors (protocol equal of vice premiers but with narrower portfolios), the secretary-general , and 26 ministers and other cabinet-level department heads . It consists of ministries and agencies with specific portfolios. The State Council presents most initiatives to the NPCSC for consideration after previous endorsement by

1825-597: The General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party, the top leader in the one-party system. The office is officially regarded as an institution of the state rather than an administrative post; theoretically, the president serves at the pleasure of the National People's Congress, the legislature, and is not legally vested to take executive action on its own prerogative. The current president is Xi Jinping, who took office in March 2013. The office

1898-607: The Home Office in January 2024 showed that over 144,000 Hong Kongers have moved to the UK since the start of 2021, more than doubling the size of the community. Hong Kongers who migrated to the UK under the BN(O) visa scheme introduced in 2021 were predominately in their 30s and 40s, 70 per cent were graduates and 39 per cent had a professional occupational background. According to The Economist , reasons for this demographic include

1971-764: The NPC Standing Committee , the chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference , the secretary of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection , the party's top anti-graft body, and the first-ranked secretary of the CCP secretariat have consistently also been members of the Politburo Standing Committee. Ranked below the party's Politburo Standing Committee are deputy state leaders including

2044-528: The NPC, the vice president has no power other than what the president bestowed on them but assists the president. The head of the State Council , the NPC's executive organ, is the premier . The CCP general secretary is China's leading official since the CCP is tasked with formulating and setting national policy which the state, after being adopted by the NPC or relevant state organ, is responsible for implementing. The State Council, also referred to as

2117-407: The People's Republic of China is put in practice through its comprehensive control of the state, military, and media. The National People's Congress (NPC) is the national legislature of China. With 2,977 members in 2023, it is the largest parliamentary body in the world. Under China's current Constitution, the NPC is structured as a unicameral legislature , with the power to legislate, to oversee

2190-604: The Presidency was gone. The 3rd promulgation in 1978 expanded the number of articles, but was still under the influence of the very-recent Cultural Revolution . The current constitution is the PRC's fourth promulgation, declared on 4 December 1982, and has served as a stable constitution for 30 years. The legal power of the CCP is guaranteed by the PRC Constitution and its position as the supreme political authority in

2263-945: The Southeast Asian community which include the Filipinos (2.7 per cent), Indonesians (1.9 per cent), as well as the Thais and Vietnamese . In 2021, 0.8 per cent of Hong Kong's population were of European ancestry , many (48.9 per cent) of whom resided on Hong Kong Island , where they constitute 2.5 per cent of the population. There are long-established South Asian communities , which comprise both descendants of 19th and early 20th-century migrants as well as more recent short-term expatriates. There are small pockets of South Asian communities who live in Hong Kong including Indians , Nepalese , and Pakistanis , who respectively made up 0.6 per cent, 0.4 per cent, and 0.3 per cent of Hong Kong's population in 2021. Smaller diaspora groups from

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2336-456: The State Council and the CCP were unable to secure passage of a fuel tax in 2009 to finance the construction of expressways . Likewise, the Ministry of Finance has sought to institute property taxes since the early 2010s, but opposition from the NPC (as well as local governments) have prevented any property tax proposals from reaching the NPC's legislative agenda. The NPC Standing Committee

2409-497: The Supreme People's Court are appointed by the National People's Congress. The governors of China's provinces and autonomous regions and mayors of its directly administered municipalities are appointed by the State Council after receiving the nominal consent of the National People's Congress (NPC). The Hong Kong and Macau special administrative regions (SARS) have significant local autonomy including separate governments, legal systems, and basic constitutional laws, but must follow

2482-403: The UK are ethnically Boat Dwellers and/or Chinese , others include the children of colonial parentage (British and/or other European heritage, and people with ancestries from other parts of the former British colonial empire) born in Hong Kong prior to the transfer of sovereignty to China in 1997. In July 2020, following the implementation of new national security laws in Hong Kong by China,

2555-713: The UK offered a pathway to citizenship for British Nationals (Overseas) status holders in Hong Kong. In the first year of the policy, 103,900 people applied for the BN(O) visa, which had almost doubled to 191,000 by January 2024. The 2001 census recorded 96,445 Hong Kong-born people residing in the United Kingdom. The 2011 census recorded 98,724 Hong Kong-born people resident in England, 3,517 in Wales, 7,586 in Scotland and 1,906 in Northern Ireland. The figure in Scotland

2628-518: The United Kingdom. The United Kingdom has historically been a popular destination for Hong Kong immigrants due to the colonial relationship between the two territories. The British Nationality Act 1948 allowed Hong Kong-born residents to move to the UK free of restriction. The UK's popularity among Hong Kong immigrants was also helped by the fact that the English language enjoys official status in both territories. While many Hong Kong-born residents of

2701-456: The ability to exercise social control and regulation, (3) coercive resources, (4) the capacity to consult and collaborate with emerging social groups and organizations to balance conflicting interests, and (5) the ability to learn from failures and mistakes. China's fiscal budget has four parts: general fiscal budget, budget for government funds, budget for operating income of state-owned capital, and social insurance budget. The largest part

2774-478: The adjacent province of Guangdong . The territory is also home to other Han subgroups including the Hakka , Hoklo , Teochew (Chiuchow), Shanghainese , Sichuanese and Taiwanese . Meanwhile, non-Han Chinese Hongkongers such as the British , Filipinos , Indonesians , South Asians and Vietnamese make up six percent of Hong Kong's population. The terms Hongkonger and Hong Kongese are used to denote

2847-625: The authority of government departments is defined by regulations and rules rather than law. The State Council issues regulations on the forms of official government and CCP documentation which govern the level of authority, urgency, and confidentiality required by the document. Official documents include ones which must be strictly implemented by lower levels of government (such as "Decisions" and "Orders"), ones which can be treated more flexibly (such as "Opinions" and "Notices"), and ones with less or more general content (such as "Letters" and "Minutes"). The Central Military Commission (CMC) exercises

2920-591: The base of the government and party hierarchies. Power is concentrated in the "paramount leader," an informal title currently occupied by Xi Jinping, who heads the four most important political and state offices: He is the general secretary of the CCP Central Committee , Chairman of the Central Military Commission , and President of the PRC. Near the end of Hu Jintao's term in office, experts observed growing limitations to

2993-497: The central government allowed local governments to issue bonds to finance public capital spending for projects like infrastructure and hospitals. The quantity of such bonds is set by the central government. Local governments cannot issue bonds to pay for current spending, such as salaries. China's civil service is divided into tiers. The highest tiers (including department chiefs, deputy department chiefs, and section chiefs) have significant involvement in policy-making. After

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3066-479: The central government in foreign policy and national security , and their chief executives are effectively picked by the CCP Politburo. Below the provincial level, there are prefectures and counties. Counties are divided into townships and villages . While most are run by appointed officials, some lower-level jurisdictions have direct elections. While operating under strict control and supervision by

3139-429: The central government, China's local governments manage relatively high share of fiscal revenues and expenditures. Their level of authority and autonomy in economic decision-making is high, and they have played a major role in national economic development. They do not have the right to make tax laws but may have the ability to adjust certain tax rates within boundaries established by the central government. Through

3212-726: The community for the 100,000-140,000 BN(O) arrivals expected to be eligible to vote. A survey conducted at the end of 2022 by the University of Liverpool on Hong Kongers who came to the UK through the BN(O) visa pathway suggested that more than half of the new arrivals would vote Conservatives, 16 per cent for the Liberal Democrats and 14 per cent for Labour. Amongst the Chinese ethnic group in general, another survey conducted in 2023 found that Conservatives (40 per cent) led Labour (37 per cent) by 3 points. Hong Kong migrants under

3285-621: The cost of providing public goods has devolved to local governments from the central government and therefore local governments need to generate fees to provide public services. Local governments are the key provider of public of goods in China. Since 2014, the National New-Type Urbanization Plan has resulted in the consolidation of planning processes that were formerly distributed across different bureaucracies, such as urban and rural land use, tourism planning, and environmental planning. Beginning in 2015,

3358-412: The direction of local policy experiments or pilot programs. The typical approach is that central government leadership begins drafting formal policies, law, or regulations after policy has been developed at local levels. China has a high degree of state capacity . Academic Thomas Heberer attributes China's state capacity to: (1) the legitimacy of its political system as viewed by its citizens, (2)

3431-561: The fact that only people born before 1997 are eligible for British National (Overseas) status, and that families with children are particularly eager to emigrate from Hong Kong following the introduction of the territory's national security law. BN(O) arrivals tended to move to affordable areas and suburbs outside of London that had a strong schooling system, with popular destinations named as Salford , Trafford , Warrington , Solihull and Sutton . Civil society groups have been set up to increase voter registration and to tackle issues affecting

3504-547: The form Hong Konger instead. The form Hong Konger also seems to be preferred by governments around the world. In 2008, the U.S. Government Publishing Office decided to include Hong Konger as a demonym for Hong Kong in its official Style Manual . The Companies House of the UK government similarly added Hong Konger to its standard list of nationalities in September 2020. The aforementioned terms all translate to

3577-664: The handover of Hong Kong in 1997; although it still participates in the Association of Commonwealth Universities and the Commonwealth Lawyers Association . Moreover, Hong Kong also has indigenous people and ethnic minorities from South and Southeast Asia , whose cultures all play integral parts in modern day Hong Kong culture. As a result, after the 1997 transfer of sovereignty to the People's Republic of China , Hong Kong has continued to develop

3650-517: The largest number of Hong Kong expatriates, though the Hong Kong diaspora can also be found in Taiwan and several English-speaking countries such as Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Most Hongkongers living outside of Greater China form a part of the larger overseas Chinese community. The migration of Hongkongers to other parts of the world accelerated in the years prior to

3723-434: The late 1980s and the early 1990s, the municipal government regulatory mechanisms expanded, as did their capacity to regulate peri-urban areas. The 1994 fiscal reforms resulted in the need of local governments to generate non-tax revenue, which they did in the form of revenues through land development and use fees. This resulted in their increase in both administrative size and geographic size. From 2002 to at least 2023,

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3796-517: The main deliberative bodies of China, and are often referred to as the Two Sessions . Aside from the CCP, eight minor political parties participate, but are non- oppositional and have no real power. They must accept the primacy of the CCP to exist and their members are preapproved by the CCP's United Front Work Department . The NPC, elected for a term of five years, holds annual sessions every spring, usually lasting from 10 to 14 days, in

3869-433: The majority of the ethnic Chinese residents of Hong Kong, which accounts for the city's broad Cantonese culture . The Cantonese language , a form of Yue Chinese , is the primary language of Hong Kong and that used in the media and education. For that reason, while there are groups with ancestral roots in more distant parts of China, such as Shanghai and Shandong , as well as members of other Han Chinese subgroups, such as

3942-581: The operations of the government, and to elect the major officials of state. Its delegates are elected for a five-year term through a multi-tiered electoral system . According to the Constitution, the NPC is the highest state institution within China's political system. The NPC and the National Committee of the People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), a consultative body whose members represent various people's organizations , are

4015-524: The paramount leader's de facto control over the government, but at the 19th Party Congress in October 2017, Xi Jinping's term limits were removed and his powers were expanded. Under the PRC's constitution, the President of the People's Republic of China is a largely ceremonial office with limited powers. However, since 1993, as a matter of convention, the presidency has been held simultaneously by

4088-577: The party and state systems. The commission is headed by the CMC Chairman. The National Supervisory Commission (NSC) is the highest state supervisory ( anti-corruption ) agency of China. At the same administrative ranking as the Supreme People's Court and Supreme People's Procuratorate , it supervises all public officials who exercise public power. It closely operates together with the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection of

4161-446: The party's chief staff, vice premiers, and the party secretaries of China's most important municipalities and provinces. Ministers and provincial governors are next in rank, followed by deputy ministers and deputy provincial governors. Ministry director generals and sub provincial municipality mayors rank below this, followed by ministry deputy director generals and third-tier city mayors. There are five ranks below these which reach to

4234-542: The provincial, prefecture, and county levels. At the same administrative ranking as the SPC and SPP, the National Supervisory Commission (NSC) was established in 2018 to investigate corruption within the CCP and state organs. All courts and their personnel are subject to the effective control of the CCP's Central Political and Legal Affairs Commission . The CCP constitution states that the party

4307-622: The relationship between the government and the CCP, James Palmer, writing for Foreign Policy , states that, "[t]he Chinese government is essentially the shadow of the Communist Party, moving as the party does, and consequently government roles matter far less than party ones." According to The Economist , "[e]specially when meeting foreigners, officials may present name cards bearing government titles but stay quiet about party positions which may or may not outrank their state jobs." According to scholar Rush Doshi , "[t]he Party sits above

4380-496: The results. New policies are often tested locally before being applied more widely, resulting in a policy process that involves experimentation and feedback. This method of first implementing policy through local pilot testing was also used during the Mao era. Generally, high level central government leadership refrains from drafting specific policies, instead using the informal networks and site visits to affirm or suggest changes to

4453-403: The right of abode. The Basic Law allows residents to acquire right of abode by birth in Hong Kong, or in some other ways . For example, residents of China may settle in Hong Kong for family reunification purposes if they obtain a one-way permit (for which there may be a waiting time of several years). Formally speaking, the government of Hong Kong does not confer its own citizenship, although

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4526-567: The same term in Cantonese , 香港人 ( Cantonese Yale : Hèung Góng Yàhn ). The direct translation of this is Hong Kong person . During the British colonial era , terms like Hong Kong Chinese and Hong Kong Britons were used to distinguish the British and Chinese populations that lived in the city. The term Hongkongers most often refers to legal residents of Hong Kong, as recognised under Hong Kong Basic Law . Hong Kong Basic Law gives

4599-410: The separation of the state and the party, especially advocated by more liberal officials such as Zhao Ziyang . The proposals included abolishing CCP committees from some government departments, increasing the influence of the State Council, and having professional managers leader SOEs instead of CCP committees. These proposals were abandoned after the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and massacre . On

4672-442: The state, runs parallel to the state, and is enmeshed in every level of the state." The integration of the CCP and the state has accelerated under Xi Jinping, chairing eight party commissions that direct government bodies. Under Xi, several government and party bodies have also merged, with one party organization having an external state government name under the one institution with two names system, further integrating party and

4745-403: The state. The Constitution of the PRC was first created on 20 September 1954, before which an interim constitution -like document created by the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference was in force. The second promulgation in 1975 shortened the constitution to just about 30 articles, containing CCP slogans and revolutionary language throughout. The role of courts was slashed, and

4818-507: The supreme command and control over the People's Liberation Army (PLA), the People's Armed Police, and the Militia. It operates within the CCP under the name "Central Military Commission of the Communist Party of China", and as the military arm of the central government under the name "Central Military Commission of the People's Republic of China". Under the arrangement of " one institution with two names ", both commissions have identical personnel, organization and function, and operate under both

4891-447: The term Hong Kong citizen is used colloquially to refer to permanent residents of the city. Hong Kong does not require applicants for naturalisation to take a language test to become a permanent resident. However, Hong Kong migrants and residents are assumed to understand their obligation under Article 24 of the Hong Kong Basic Law to abide by the laws of Hong Kong. According to Hong Kong's 2021 census, 91.6 per cent of its population

4964-442: The title was " Chairman "; after 1982, this translation was changed to " President ", although the Chinese title remains unchanged. In March 2018, presidential term limits were abolished. The State Council is the chief administrative authority and national cabinet of China. It is appointed by the National People's Congress and is chaired by the premier and includes the heads of each governmental department and agency. The premier

5037-399: The village level to the national level. The CCP committees in government bodies supervise and lead the bodies, with the State Council legally required to implement CCP policies. As outlined by the CCP constitution: "Government, the military, society and schools, north, south, east and west – the party leads them all." Under the leadership of Deng Xiaoping , there were proposals to increase

5110-400: The working legislature, the NPC Standing Committee (NPCSC). This organ adopts most national legislation, interprets the constitution and laws, and conducts constitutional reviews , and is headed by the chairman , one of China's top officials. The president represents China abroad, though since the 1990s, the presidency has always been held by the CCP general secretary . Elected separately by

5183-400: Was 7,068 in 2001 and 5,910 in 1991. The 2021 census recorded 117,714 Hong Kong-born people resident in England, 11,901 in Scotland, 3,715 in Wales and 1,982 in Northern Ireland. The 2021 census was conducted less than two months after the implementation of the new BN(O) visa scheme in January 2021 so there is a likelihood that few of its beneficiaries had been recorded by the census. Figures from

5256-485: Was first established in the Constitution of the People's Republic of China in 1954 and successively held by Mao Zedong and Liu Shaoqi . Liu fell into political disgrace during the Cultural Revolution, after which the office became vacant. The office was abolished under the Constitution of 1975, then reinstated in the Constitution of 1982, but with reduced powers. The official English-language translation of

5329-487: Was formally a British Dependent Territory . English was introduced as an official language of Hong Kong during British colonial rule , alongside the indigenous Chinese language , notably Cantonese . While it was an overseas territory, Hong Kong participated in a variety of organisations from the Commonwealth Family network. Hong Kong ended its participation with most Commonwealth Family organisations after

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