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.
"Mainland China",also referred to as "the Chinese mainland",is a geopolitical term defined as the territory under direct administration of the People's Republic of China (PRC) in the aftermath of the Chinese Civil War. In addition to the geographical mainland,the geopolitical sense of the term includes islands such as Hainan,Chongming,and Zhoushan. By convention,territories outside of mainland China include:
"One country,two systems" is a constitutional principle of the People's Republic of China (PRC) describing the governance of the special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macau.
The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region is the executive authorities of Hong Kong. It was established on 1 July 1997,following the handover of Hong Kong.
Law enforcement in China consists of an extensive public security system and a variety of enforcement procedures used to maintain order in the country. Along with the courts and procuratorates,the country's judicial and public security agencies include the Ministry of Public Security (MPS) and the Ministry of State Security (MSS),with their descending hierarchy of departments,bureaus,subbureaus,and stations.
China Post,officially the China Post Group Corporation,is the national postal service corporation of the People's Republic of China. It is incorporated as a state-owned enterprise.
The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region 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 handover in 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. In addition,unlike Chinese passport which can be directly issued by Chinese diplomatic missions abroad,the Immigration Department of Hong Kong is the only issuing authority for HKSAR passports.
A border guard of a country is a national security agency that ensures border security. Some of the national border guard agencies also perform coast guard and rescue service duties.
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.
As of May 2024,there are 70 diplomatic missions in Hong Kong,of which 62 are consulates-general and 8 are 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 Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Hong Kong (TECO) is the representative office of the Republic of China (Taiwan) in Hong Kong. Its counterpart body in Taiwan is the Hong Kong Economic,Trade and Cultural Office in Taiwan.
The visa policy of mainland China deals with the requirements which a foreign citizen must meet to travel to,enter,and remain in the mainland of the People's Republic of China. Several categories of visas are available,depending on the purpose and length of stay. Chinese visas are issued outside China by the Chinese diplomatic missions and in China by the exit and entry administrations (EEAs) of the county-level public security bureaus (PSBs). Visa exemptions exist for citizens of certain countries based on bilateral agreements and unilateral decisions.
The Hong Kong and Macao Work Office,concurrently known as the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council (HMO),is an administrative office of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party responsible for promoting cooperation and coordination of political,economic,and cultural ties between mainland China and the Chinese Special Administrative Regions of Hong Kong and Macau. It was formed in 2023 on the basis of then State Council's HKMAO. Its head office is in Xicheng District,Beijing.
There are 15 consular missions in Macau,of which three are consulates-general,two are a consular office and ten are honorary consuls.
The Civil Aviation Authority is the civil aviation authority of Macau. It is responsible for controlling and regulating the air traffic and airspace within Macau.
The Central Leading Group on Hong Kong and Macau Affairs is an internal policy coordination group of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP),reporting to the CCP Politburo,in charge of supervising and coordinating Beijing's policies towards the Special Administrative Regions of Hong Kong and Macau.
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.
