British Consulate-General Hong Kong | |
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Location | Hong Kong |
Address | 1 Supreme Court Road, Admiralty, Hong Kong Island |
Coordinates | 22°16′34.25″N114°9′53.7″E / 22.2761806°N 114.164917°E Coordinates: 22°16′34.25″N114°9′53.7″E / 22.2761806°N 114.164917°E |
Consul General | HE Brian Davidson, HM Consul-General Hong Kong |
Website | British Consulate-General Hong Kong |
British Consulate-General, Hong Kong | |||||||||||
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Traditional Chinese | 英國駐香港總領事館 | ||||||||||
Simplified Chinese | 英国驻香港总领事馆 | ||||||||||
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The British Consulate-General Hong Kong,located at 1 Supreme Court Road,Admiralty,Hong Kong Island,is one of the largest British Consulates-General in the world and is bigger than many British Embassies and High Commissions. [1] It is responsible for maintaining British ties with Hong Kong and Macau. [1]
Together with the Consulate General of the United States of America,Hong Kong and Macau,the Consulate General of Malaysia,and the Consulate General of the Republic of Indonesia,the British Consulate-General is among the few Consulates-General in Hong Kong to be housed in its own building.
Due to Hong Kong's status as a Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China,the Consul-General in Hong Kong reports directly to the China Department of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office,instead of to the British Ambassador in Beijing,unlike Consuls-General in mainland China. [2] The Consulate-General in Hong Kong also serves Macau,with several diplomats accredited specifically to Macau. [3]
The Consulate-General was also the Regional Passport Processing Centre,handling passport applications from British citizens resident elsewhere in Asia. [4]
Previously,it also processed applications received by the British Trade and Cultural Office (now called the British Office) in Taipei,Taiwan. [5] It also received registrations of marriages from British nationals in Taiwan,although there was no legal requirement for British nationals to do so. [6]
This role ceased in 2014,and all passport-related matters have since been handled by Her Majesty's Passport Office in the UK. Furthermore,visa application matters are outsourced to a separate company since 2015.
When Hong Kong was under British rule,the Governor represented the British government,as well as the British monarch as head of state. Matters relating to British nationality were handled by the Hong Kong Immigration Department. [7]
During the negotiations between Britain and China on the future of Hong Kong,the British proposed the establishment of a "British Commissioner" following transfer of sovereignty to China. [8] Some of the diplomatic representatives of Commonwealth countries in Hong Kong were already known as "Commissioners". [9] This was rejected by the Chinese as an attempt to make the future Hong Kong Special Administrative Region into a member or associated member of the Commonwealth. [8]
However,the United Kingdom's commercial interests were represented by the British Trade Commission. [10] The last Senior Trade Commissioner (1993-1997),Francis Cornish,became the first British Consul-General following the transfer of sovereignty to China,on 1 July 1997. [11]
The Consulate-General was designed by British architects Terry Farrell and Partners. [12] Opened by Princess Anne on 30 January 1997,it was a HK$290 million project,with the British Council in an adjoining building opened in December that year. [13]
The Consul-General has resided at rented flat at Opus Hong Kong since 2013. [14]
List of HM Consuls-General in Hong Kong:
Name | Tenure began | Tenure ended | Tenure length | Date of birth (and age) when published | Prior Role | Subsequent Role | |
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1 | Francis Cornish (zh) | July 1997 | November 1997 | 4 months | 18 May 1942 | Senior Trade Commissioner to Hong Kong | Head of FCDO News Department |
2 | Sir Andrew Burns (zh) | November 1997 | June 2000 | 2 years,7 months | 21 July 1943 | Deputy Under Secretary of State | British High Commissioner to Canada |
3 | Sir James Hodge (zh) | June 2000 | November 2003 | 3 years,5 months | 24 December 1943 | British Ambassador to Thailand | Retired from Diplomatic Service |
4 | Stephen Bradley (zh) | November 2003 | March 2008 | 4 years,4 months | 4 April 1958 | Minister,Deputy Head of Mission &Consul-General to Beijing,China | Retired from Diplomatic Service |
5 | Andrew Seaton (zh) | March 2008 | September 2012 | 4 years,6 months | 20 April 1954 | Consul-General to Chicago,USA | Retired from Diplomatic Service |
6 | Caroline Wilson [15] (zh) | September 2012 | September 2016 | 4 years | 12 August 1970 | Minister Counsellor to Moscow,Russia | Europe Director at the FCDO |
7 | Andrew Heyn (zh) | September 2016 | December 2020 | 4 years,3 months | 14 January 1962 | Director,Leadership,Governance &Diversity Strategy at the Cabinet Office | Retired from Diplomatic Service |
– | Tamsin Heath (interim) | December 2020 | July 2021 | 7 months | Deputy Consul-General to Hong Kong | Deputy Consul-General to Hong Kong | |
8 | Brian Davidson (zh) | July 2021 | Incumbent | 5 months | 28 April 1964 | British Ambassador to Thailand |
Under the Basic Law,the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region is exclusively in charge of its internal affairs and external relations,whilst the central government of China is responsible for its foreign affairs and defence. As a separate customs territory,Hong Kong maintains and develops relations with foreign states and regions,and plays an active role in such international organisations as World Trade Organization (WTO) and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) in its own right under the name of Hong Kong,China. Hong Kong participates in 16 projects of United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
The Special Administrative Regions (SAR) of the People's Republic of China are one of the provincial-level administrative divisions of the People's Republic of China directly under the control of the Central People's Government. As a region,they possess the highest degree of autonomy from China. However,despite the relative autonomy that the Central People's Government offers the special administrative regions,the National People's Congress remains capable of enforcing laws for the special administrative regions.
A Mainland Travel Permit for Hong Kong and Macao Residents,also colloquially referred to as a Home Return Permit or Home Visit Permit,is issued to Chinese nationals who are permanent residents of or settled in Hong Kong and Macau as the travel document to Mainland China. The permit is issued by the Exit and Entry Administration of the People's Republic of China through China Travel Service sub-branches in Hong Kong and Macau and allows holders to travel freely to Mainland China.
The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China 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 transfer of sovereignty on 1 July 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.
Under the Basic Law,Macau's diplomatic relations and defence are the responsibility of the central government of China. Except diplomatic relations and defence,nonetheless,Macau has retained considerable autonomy in all aspects,including economic and commercial relations,customs control.
The consulate is a diplomatic mission,the office of a consul and is usually subordinate to the state's main representation in the capital of that foreign country,usually an embassy or –between Commonwealth countries –high commission. Like the terms embassy or high commission,consulate may refer not only to the office of consul,but also to the building occupied by the consul and the consul's staff. The consulate may share premises with the embassy itself.
The transfer of sovereignty of Macau from Portugal to the People's Republic of China (PRC) occurred on 20 December 1999.
The Consulate General of the United States,Hong Kong and Macau represents the United States in the Hong Kong and Macau Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China.
There are 123 diplomatic missions in Hong Kong,of which 62 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 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 Government of the Macau Special Administrative Region allows citizens of specific countries/territories to travel to Macau for tourism or business purposes for periods ranging from 14 to 180 days without having to obtain a visa. For other entry purposes,such as establishing residence on a long-term basis,a different policy applies.
The visa policy of Hong Kong deals with the requirements in which a foreign national wishing to enter Hong Kong through one of the 15 immigration control points must meet to obtain an entry permit or Visa,which depending on the traveller's nationality,may be required to travel to,enter,and remain in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. Visitors from over 145 countries are permitted without Visa entry for periods ranging from 7 to 180 days,to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region for tourism or certain business-related activities. All visitors must hold a passport valid for more than 1 month.
There are 15 consular missions in Macau,of which 4 are Consulates-General,1 consular office and 10 are Honorary Consuls.
A de facto embassy is an office or organisation that serves de facto as an embassy in the absence of normal or official diplomatic relations among countries,usually to represent nations which lack full diplomatic recognition,regions or dependencies of countries,or territories over which sovereignty is disputed. In some cases,diplomatic immunity and extraterritoriality may be granted.
The British National (Overseas) passport,commonly referred to as the BN(O) passport,is a British passport for persons with British National (Overseas) citizenship. BN(O) citizenship was created in 1987 after the enactment of Hong Kong Act 1985. BN(O) citizens are permanent residents of Hong Kong who were British Dependent Territories citizens until 30 June 1997,and chose to remain British by registering for BN(O) citizenship when Hong Kong was under British administration.
Canada–Hong Kong relations refers to international relations between Canada and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of China. Canada and Hong Kong share a legal and political history as parts of the former British Empire,and Canada continues to maintain strong relations with Hong Kong. The Canadian government strongly supports Hong Kong's autonomy under Chinese sovereignty in accordance with the "one country,two systems" principle as provided for in the Sino-British Joint Declaration and the Hong Kong Basic Law,Hong Kong's de facto constitution.
The Embassy of the United Kingdom in Beijing is the chief diplomatic mission of the United Kingdom in the People's Republic of China. It is one of Britain's largest overseas embassies. It is located at 11 Guang Hua Lu,in the Chaoyang District. The current British Ambassador to China is Caroline Wilson.
The Australian Consulate-General in Hong Kong and Macao represents the Commonwealth of Australia in Hong Kong,and is also accredited to Macau. As Hong Kong was linked to the Commonwealth during British administration,Australia's diplomatic presence was exercised by an Australian Commission,until 1 January 1986,when it was renamed the Australian Consulate-General. From 1946 to 1972,Australia was represented by the Australian Trade Commission.
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.
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