British Consulate-General, Hong Kong

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British Consulate-General,
Hong Kong and Macao
HK British Consulate Justice Drive 1.JPG
Location Hong Kong
Address 1 Supreme Court Road,
Admiralty, Hong Kong Island
Ambassador Caroline Wilson (Consul-General)
Website British Consulate-General Hong Kong

The British Consulate-General, Hong Kong, 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 abroad.[1] It is responsible for maintaining British ties with Hong Kong and Macao.[1]

Together with the United States Consulate General, the Consulate General of Malaysia, and the Consulate General of the Republic of Indonesia, the British Consulate-General is among the few Consulates-General in Hong Kong to be housed in its own building.

Role

Due to Hong Kong's status as a Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China, the Consul-General in Hong Kong reports directly to the China Department of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, instead of to the British Ambassador in Beijing, unlike Consuls-General in mainland China.[2] The Consulate-General in Hong Kong also serves Macao, with several diplomats accredited specifically to Macao.[3]

The British Consulate-General was also the Regional Passport Processing Centre, handling passport applications from British citizens resident elsewhere in Asia.[4]

Previously, it also processed applications received by the British Trade and Cultural Office (now called the British Office) in Taipei, Taiwan.[5] It also received registrations of marriages from British nationals in Taiwan, although there was no legal requirement for British nationals to do so.[6]

History

When Hong Kong was under British rule, the Governor represented the British government, as well as the British monarch as head of state. Matters relating to British nationality were handled by the Hong Kong Immigration Department.[7]

During the negotiations between Britain and China on the future of Hong Kong, the British proposed the establishment of a "British Commissioner" following transfer of sovereignty to China.[8] Some of the diplomatic representatives of Commonwealth countries in Hong Kong were already known as "Commissioners".[9] This was rejected by the Chinese as an attempt to make the future Hong Kong Special Administrative Region into a member or associated member of the Commonwealth.[8]

However, the United Kingdom's commercial interests were represented by the British Trade Commission.[10] The last Senior Trade Commissioner, Francis Cornish, became the first British Consul-General following the transfer of sovereignty to China, on 1 July, 1997.[11]

The Consulate-General was designed by British architects Terry Farrell and Partners.[12] Opened by Princess Anne on 30 January 1997, it was a HK$290 million project, with the British Council in an adjoining building opened in December that year.[13]

The Consul-General has resided at rented flat at Opus Hong Kong since 2013.[14]

List of Consuls-General

List of British Consuls-General to Hong Kong and Macao:

Name Tenure began Tenure ended Birth date British monarch Hong Kong
Chief Executive
Francis Cornish
鄺富劭		 1 July 1997 November 1997 (1942-05-18) 18 May 1942 (age 82) Queen Elizabeth II Tung Chee-hwa→
Sir Donald Tsang→
Henry Tang→
Sir Donald Tsang
Sir Andrew Burns
貝恩德爵士		 November 1997 June 2000 (1943-07-21) 21 July 1943 (age 81)
Sir James Hodge
何進爵士		 June 2000 November 2003 (1943-12-24) 24 December 1943 (age 80)
Stephen Bradley
柏聖文		 November 2003 March 2008 (1958-04-04) 4 April 1958 (age 66)
Andrew Seaton
奚安竹		 March 2008 September 2012 (1954-04-20) 20 April 1954 (age 70) Sir Donald Tsang→
Leung Chun Ying
Caroline Wilson[15]
吳若蘭		 September 2012 Leung Chun Ying

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 British Consulate-General Hong Kong
  2. ↑ The UK's relations with Hong Kong: 30 years after the Joint Declaration, Tenth Report of Session 2014–15, Foreign Affairs Select Committee, House of Commons, 6 Mar 2015, page 16 PDF
  3. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  4. ↑ Passport application changes for Brits living abroad
  5. ↑ British Trade and Cultural Office - About us
  6. ↑ British Trade and Cultural Office - How to register a marriage
  7. ↑ Hong Kong's New Constitutional Order: The Resumption of Chinese Sovereignty and the Basic Law, Yash Ghai, Hong Kong University Press, 1997, page 167
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 The Chinese government resumed exercise of sovereignty over Hong Kong, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, People's Republic of China
  9. ↑ Hong Kong $ Directory, Local Printing Press, 1987, page 32
  10. ↑ Hunting with the Tigers: Doing Business with Hong Kong, Indonesia, South Korea, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam, Claudia Cragg, Pfeiffer & Company, 1993, page 417
  11. ↑ Chief Executive holds 'useful, cordial' talks with British Prime Minister, Government of Hong Kong, October 22, 1997
  12. ↑ Terry Farrell - Royal Institute of British Architects
  13. ↑ Francis Cornish, South China Morning Post, January 31, 1997
  14. ↑ Britain's Hong Kong Consul General in £35 million flat, Daily Telegraph, 9 Jun 2013
  15. ↑ Consul General to Hong Kong & Macao, Caroline Wilson CMG

External links

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