Law of Hong Kong

The law of Hong Kong rests on the English common law, which the territory inherited as a former British colony and dependent territory. Primary legislation is enacted by the Legislative Council as Ordinances, numbered by chapter in the Laws of Hong Kong, and case law derived from precedent decisions is a further source of law. Since the handover on 1 July 1997 the constitutional framework has been the Basic Law, a national law enacted by the National People's Congress of China, which enshrines the principle of one country, two systems and preserves the common law system by maintaining pre-1997 laws. Some national laws, including the national security law of 2020, apply directly through Annex III of the Basic Law. The system gradually became bilingual in English and Chinese during the late twentieth century, and the courts include the Court of Final Appeal, the High Court, the District Court and the Magistrates' Court.