British Consulate-General, Hong Kong

British Consulate-General, Hong Kong and Macao
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	18 May 1942	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	21 July 1943
Sir James Hodge 何進爵士	June 2000	November 2003	24 December 1943
Stephen Bradley 柏聖文	November 2003	March 2008	4 April 1958
Andrew Seaton 奚安竹	March 2008	September 2012	20 April 1954		Sir Donald Tsang→ Leung Chun Ying
Caroline Wilson[15] 吳若蘭	September 2012				Leung Chun Ying

See also

• British diplomatic missions
• Diplomatic missions in Hong Kong
• Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office, London
• Foreign Office and Colonial Office
• Consulate General of Canada in Hong Kong and Macao
• Consulate General of the United States, Hong Kong and Macau

References

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. "British Embassy Macao". Foreign & Commonwealth Office. Retrieved 12 February 2016.
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. 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

• Official website

Coordinates: 22°16′34.25″N 114°9′53.7″E / 22.2761806°N 114.164917°E