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.
Richard A. Boucher is an American diplomat who was deputy secretary-general of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) from 2009 until 2013. He took up post on November 5,2009. Prior to joining OECD,he was the Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs,a post he took up on February 21,2006. The Bureau of South Asian Affairs was expanded to include the nations of Central Asia shortly before his confirmation.
A consul is an official representative of the government of one state in the territory of another,normally acting to assist and protect the citizens of the consul's own country,as well as to facilitate trade and friendship between the people of the two countries.
A consulate is the office of a consul. A type of diplomatic mission,it is usually subordinate to the state's main representation in the capital of that foreign country,usually an embassy. The term "consulate" may refer not only to the office of a 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 Consulate General of the United States,Hong Kong and Macau,represents the United States in Hong Kong and Macau.
The British Consulate General Hong Kong (BCGHK),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. It is responsible for maintaining British ties with Hong Kong and Macau.
James Blair Cunningham is an American diplomat who served as the United States Ambassador to Afghanistan. Cunningham has served in various diplomatic positions,including Chief of Staff to NATO Secretary General Manfred Woerner (1989–1990),Deputy Advisor for Political Affairs at the United States Mission to the United Nations (1990–1992),Director of the State Department's Office of European Security and Political Affairs (1993-1995),Deputy Chief of Mission,Embassy of the United States in Rome (1996–2001),Acting United States Ambassador to the United Nations (2001),Consul General of the United States to Hong Kong and Macau (2005-2008) and the United States Ambassador to Israel (2008–2011).
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.
Michael Walter Michalak is the former career Foreign Service officer and United States Ambassador to Vietnam from 2007 to 2011. He currently serves as Senior Vice President and Regional Managing Director for the US-ASEAN Business Council.
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.
Stephen Markley Young is an American diplomat who was the Consul General of the Consulate General of the United States in Hong Kong under the State department in the Obama administration.
There are 15 consular missions in Macau,of which four are consulates-general,one is a consular office and ten 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 Embassy of the United States in Beijing is the diplomatic mission of the United States in China. It serves as the administrative office of the United States Ambassador to China. The embassy complex is in Chaoyang District,Beijing.
Alistair Murray McLean is the former Chair of the Australian Government's Australia Japan Foundation,and is a former Non Resident Fellow of the Lowy Institute.
Clifford A. Hart Jr. is an American former diplomat. He assumed his responsibilities as Consul General of the United States of America to Hong Kong and Macau beginning on July 30,2013. As Consul General,he is responsible for the Hong Kong and Macau Special Administrative Regions. His most recent appointment was as the Special Envoy for the Six-Party Talks,for which President Obama accorded him the personal rank of Ambassador.
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.
Matthew John Matthews was an American diplomat who served as the United States Ambassador to Brunei from 2019 to 2020.
Michael Hanscom Smith is a career member of the US Senior Foreign Service who had served as Consul General in Hong Kong and Macau from July 2019 to July 2022. Smith has also served as Consul General in Shanghai (2014–2017),Director/Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Office of Chinese and Mongolian Affairs at the Department of State. He also served as Economic Section Chief at the Taipei Main Office of the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT),and team leader at the United States Provincial Reconstruction Team in the Iraqi Province of Muthanna.
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.
