Laws of the People's Republic of China

Whole Document DECISION OF THE NATIONAL PEOPLE'S CONGRESS ON THE BASIC LAW OF THEHONG KONG SPECIAL ADMINISTRATIVE REGION OF THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA(Adopted at the Third Session of the Seventh National People'sCongress on April 4, 1990)The Third Session of the Seventh National People's Congress adopts theBasic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People'sRepublic of China, including Annex I: Method for the Selection of theChief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Annex II:Method for the Formation of the Legislative Council of the Hong KongSpecial Administrative Region and Its Voting Procedures, Annex III:National Laws to Be Applied in the Hong Kong Special AdministrativeRegion, and the designs of the regional flag and regional emblem of theHong Kong Special Administrative Region. Article 31 of the Constitution ofthe People's Republic of China provides: "The state may establish specialadministrative regions when necessary. The systems to be instituted inspecial administrative regions shall be prescribed by law enacted by theNational People's Congress in the light of the specific conditions." TheBasic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region is constitutionalas it is enacted in accordance with the Constitution of the People'sRepublic of China and in the light of the specific conditions of HongKong. The systems, policies and laws to be instituted after theestablishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region shall bebased on the Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. TheBasic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People'sRepublic of China shall be put into effect as of July 1, 1997.