Hong Kong Basic Law

The Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China is a Chinese national law that sets out the system of government of Hong Kong as a Special Administrative Region. It has nine chapters, 160 articles and three annexes, and it implements the basic policies China declared in the 1984 Sino-British Joint Declaration for Hong Kong after British colonial rule ended in 1997. Under its principle of one country, two systems, the socialist system and policies of China are excluded from Hong Kong, which keeps its capitalist system and way of life for at least 50 years, through to 2047. As an organic law it also describes the sources of law, the branches of government, the relationship between Hong Kong and the Central People's Government, and the fundamental rights and duties of residents. Drafting began in 1985, the National People's Congress enacted it on 4 April 1990, and it took effect on 1 July 1997, replacing the Letters Patent and Royal Instructions as the main constitutional document. It is often called Hong Kong's mini constitution.