Macau or Macao is a special administrative region of the People's Republic of China. With a population of about 710,000 people and a land area of 32.9 km2 (12.7 sq mi),it is the most densely populated region in the world.
Politics of Macau is a framework of a politically constrained multi-party presidential system,dominated by the People's Republic of China. It includes the legislature,the judiciary,the government,and a multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by the government,led by the Chief Executive.
The special administrative regions (SAR) of the People's Republic of China are one of four types of province-level divisions of the People's Republic of China directly under the control of its Central People's Government,being integral areas of the country. As a region,they possess the highest degree of autonomy from China's central government. However,despite the relative autonomy that the Central People's Government offers the special administrative regions,the National People's Congress and its Standing Committee remains capable of enforcing laws for the special administrative regions.
Edmund Ho Hau Wah,GOIH,GML,GCM is a Macau politician who served as the first Chief Executive of the Macau Special Administrative Region from 1999 to 2009. He currently serves as a Vice-Chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference.
Macau law is broadly based on Portuguese law,and therefore part of the civil law tradition of continental European legal systems. Portuguese law is itself highly influenced by German law. However,many other influences are present,including Chinese law,Italian law,and some narrow aspects of common law.
The Legislative Assembly of the Macau Special Administrative Region is the organ of the legislative branch of Macau. It is a 33-member body comprising 14 directly elected members,12 indirectly elected members representing functional constituencies and 7 members appointed by the chief executive. It is located at Sé.
The Basic Law of the Macao Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China is the organic law that establishes the Macau Special Administrative Region,replacing the Estatuto Orgânico de Macau. It was adopted on 31 March 1993 by China's National People's Congress and promulgated by President Jiang Zemin;it came into effect on 20 December 1999,following the transfer of sovereignty over Macau from Portugal to China.
Human rights in Macau refers to the basic rights of citizens of Macau,a former Portuguese colony that reverted to Chinese administration in 1999. As a Special Administrative Region (SAR) of the People's Republic of China (PRC),Macau enjoys a high degree of autonomy,except in defence and foreign affairs,and its citizens have basic freedoms and enjoy legally protected rights. The Macau Basic Law is the SAR's constitution,promulgated by PRC's National People's Congress (NPC) in 1993.
Establishment Day,formally the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Establishment Day,is celebrated annually on 1 July in Hong Kong,China since 1997. The holiday celebrates the transfer of sovereignty over Hong Kong from the United Kingdom to the People's Republic of China and the establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. The similarly-named holiday in Macau occurs on 20 December,the day of its handover from Portugal.
Chinese nationality law details the conditions by which a person holds nationality of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The primary law governing these requirements is the Nationality Law of the People's Republic of China,which came into force on September 10,1980.
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 Macao Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of Chinapassport is a passport issued to Chinese citizens who are permanent residents of the Chinese Special Administrative Region of Macau.
The Government of the Macau Special Administrative Region,commonly known as the Macau Government,is the executive authorities of Macau. Formed on 20 December 1999 in accordance with the Sino-Portuguese Joint Declaration,it is headed by secretariats or commissioners and report directly to the chief executive. The affairs of the government are decided by secretaries,who are appointed by the chief executive and endorsed by the State Council of the Central People's Government in Beijing. As a special administrative region of China,Macau has a high degree of autonomy,in light of the "One Country,Two Systems" policy. The Macau Government,financially independent from the Central People's Government,oversees the affairs of Macau.
The handover of Macau from the Portuguese Republic to the People's Republic of China was at midnight on 20 December 1999. This event ended 442 years of Portuguese rule in the former settlement,which began in 1557.
The Macau Resident Identity Card or BIR is an official identity card issued by the Identification Services Bureau of Macau. There are two types of Resident Identity Cards:one for permanent residents and one for non-permanent residents.
The Sino-Portuguese Treaty of Peking was a trade unequal treaty between the Kingdom of Portugal and the Qing dynasty of China,signed on 1 December 1887. It is counted by the Chinese as among the unequal treaties in the aftermath of the Second Opium War. The treaty gave Portugal perpetual colonial rights to Macau on the condition that Portugal would cooperate in efforts to end the smuggling of opium.
Capital punishment in Macau was formally abolished in 1976 and reiterated in the Penal Code of Macau in 1995.
The Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Macao Special Administrative Region is the representative office of the State Council of the People's Republic of China in Macau.
Macau was a Portuguese colony from the establishment of the first official Portuguese settlement of Macau in 1557 to its handover to China in 1999. It comprised the Municipality of Macau and the Municipality of Ilhas. Macau was both the first and last European holding in China.
Hong Kong–mainland China relations refer to the relationship between Mainland China and Hong Kong. According to the 1997 Sino-British Joint Declaration,the United Kingdom handed control of Hong Kong over to the People's Republic of China,making it a special administrative region. In principle,Hong Kong became an autonomous administrative division based on the Hong Kong Basic Law.
