[20220331]IF12070_中国初级读物：香港.pdf

https:/crsreports.congress.gov March 31, 2022China Primer: Hong KongThe Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR, or Hong Kong) is a semi-autonomous city located off the southern coast of Guangdong Province, Peoples Republic of China (PRC or China). The city was established as a British colony in 1841, and administered by the British government until 1997, when it was formally returned to PRC jurisdiction. More than 90% of Hong Kongs population is ethnically Chinese. The first language of the vast majority is Cantonese (a variety of Chinese different from the Standard Mandarin recognized as the national language by PRC law). English is also widely spoken and used in commercial and legal settings. History of the HKSAR In 1984, the United Kingdom and the PRC government signed an international treaty known as the Sino-British Joint Declaration on the Question of Hong Kong, or “Joint Declaration.” Under the agreement, the UK agreed to transfer sovereignty over Hong Kong to the PRC on July 1, 1997. The PRC government, in turn, committed to ensure that Hong Kong would continue to “enjoy a high degree of autonomy, except in foreign and defence affairs,” and “will be vested with exe