Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
Quick Summary
The Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, promulgated by China in 1990, established the principle of "one country, two systems". This framework allowed Hong Kong to maintain its capitalist economy and a significant degree of political autonomy for 50 years, except in foreign policy and defense. Hong Kong officially returned to Chinese sovereignty on July 1, 1997.123
The Basic Law vests executive authority in a chief executive and legislative authority in a Legislative Council. While the Basic Law stipulated that the chief executive and council members would ultimately be elected by universal suffrage, this has not been fully implemented, leading to concerns about Hong Kong's autonomy. A security law passed by mainland China in 2020 has further raised concerns about the weakening of "one country, two systems".14
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