Consular missions in Hong Kong

Diplomatic status

Due to Hong Kong's status as a Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China, some Consuls-General in Hong Kong have the rank of Ambassador, such as those of:

Other Consuls-General have served elsewhere as Ambassadors or High Commissioners before serving in Hong Kong, e.g.,

In addition, the current Head of the Office of the European Union also served as Ambassador to Malaysia.

Another feature of some Consuls-General in Hong Kong is that they report directly to their respective foreign ministries, rather than to their Embassies in Beijing, such as those of the following countries:

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.

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

During the negotiations between Britain and China on the future of Hong Kong, the British proposed the establishment of a "British Commissioner" following the transfer of sovereignty to China, which the Chinese rejected as an attempt to make the future Hong Kong Special Administrative Region into a member or associated member of the Commonwealth.

As Hong Kong was a Colony (later Dependent Territory) of a Commonwealth country, some Commonwealth countries were represented by Commissions including:

After the transfer of sovereignty, they were renamed Consulates-General. Similarly, the title of the head of mission was also changed, from Commissioner to Consul-General. However, the Australian Commission had been renamed the Consulate-General in 1986.

Although South Africa rejoined the Commonwealth in 1994, and its Embassies in Commonwealth countries were renamed High Commissions, the name of the South African Consulate General in Hong Kong remained unchanged. Similarly, while Pakistan had rejoined the Commonwealth in 1989, the name of the Pakistan Consulate General in Hong Hong also remained unchanged.

At the time of the transfer of sovereignty, South Africa did not have diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China, as it had not yet transferred recognition from Taiwan. However, it was able to maintain its Consulate-General for an interim six-month period, until relations with Beijing were established on January 1, 1998.

Other countries which had chosen to maintain diplomatic relations with Taipei closed their consulates in Hong Kong prior to the transfer of sovereignty, such as Paraguay, which closed its consulate on May 11, 1997. Earlier, it had considered relocating to Macau, which was then still under Portuguese administration. The Central African Republic, Costa Rica, and the Dominican Republic also closed their consulates, while Liberia, with which China had broken off diplomatic relations in September 1997, was forced to close its consulate a month later. However, it later restored diplomatic relations with Beijing in 2003.

As a result of the transfer of sovereignty, North Korea, which had not been allowed to establish a trade mission in Hong Kong during British rule, was able to open a Consulate-General in February 2000. Similarly, Iran was also able to re-establish its Consulate-General, giving rise to concerns that the country could gain access to arms smuggled through Hong Kong, a free port. This had been closed by the British Government in 1989 following the Rushdie Affair.

Bhutan, which did not have diplomatic relations with either Beijing or Taipei at the time of the transfer of sovereignty, was able to maintain an honorary consulate in Hong Kong, accredited to Macau.

Consular posts

*. Also accredited to Macau.
‡. Honorary Consulates.

Missions of recognised bodies

*. Also accredited to Macau.

Former missions

Norway maintained a Consulate General until 2003, and Honorary Consulate until 2004 but reopened its Consulate in 2008

The following countries, which recognise Taiwan as the Republic of China, previously had consulates in Hong Kong before 1997.

The following countries, which no longer have diplomatic relations with Taiwan, previously had consulates in Hong Kong under British rule:

Countries without missions

The following countries, which have diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China, do not presently have representation in Hong Kong, but have proposed establishing consulates:

The following countries, which have diplomatic relations with Taiwan, do not have consulates in Hong Kong:

Relations with Mainland China

The Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region is the representative office of the central government of the People's Republic of China in Hong Kong. It was established in May 1947 as Xinhua News Agency and renamed on 18 January 2000.

Relations with Taiwan

The Taipei Economic and Cultural Office, previously named Chung Hwa Travel Service, is a de facto mission of the Republic of China in Hong Kong. The relationship between the two entities is managed through the Hong Kong-Taiwan Economic and Cultural Co-operation and Promotion Council (ECCPC) and Taiwan-Hong Kong Economic and Cultural Co-operation Council (ECCC).