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.[1] It is responsible for maintaining British ties with Hong Kong and Macau.[1]

British Consulate-General
Hong Kong
LocationHong Kong
Address1 Supreme Court Road,
Admiralty, Hong Kong Island
Coordinates22°16′34.25″N 114°9′53.7″E
Consul GeneralHE Andrew Heyn,
HM Consul-General Hong Kong
WebsiteBritish Consulate-General Hong Kong
British Consulate-General, Hong Kong
Traditional Chinese英國駐香港總領事館
Simplified Chinese英国驻香港总领事馆

Together with the Consulate General of the United States of America, Hong Kong and Macau, 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 Macau, with several diplomats accredited specifically to Macau.[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]

This role ceased since 2014. All passport matters are now centralised to Her Majesty's Passport Office in UK. Furthermore, visa application matters are outsourced to a separate company since 2015.

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 (1993-1997), 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 HM Consuls-General

List of HM Consuls-General in Hong Kong:

Name Tenure began Tenure ended Date of birth (and age)
when published		 Prior Role Subsequent Role
1 Francis Cornish
(zh)		July 1997November 1997 (1942-05-18) 18 May 1942 Senior Trade Commissioner to Hong Kong Head of FCDO News Department
2 Sir Andrew Burns
(zh)		November 1997June 2000 (1943-07-21) 21 July 1943 Deputy Under Secretary of State British High Commissioner to Canada
3 Sir James Hodge
(zh)		June 2000November 2003 (1943-12-24) 24 December 1943 British High Commissioner to Thailand Retired from Diplomatic Service
4 Stephen Bradley
(zh)		November 2003March 2008 (1958-04-04) 4 April 1958 Minister, Deputy Head of Mission & Consul-General to Beijing, China Retired from Diplomatic Service
5 Andrew Seaton
(zh)		March 2008September 2012 (1954-04-20) 20 April 1954 Consul-General to Chicago, USA Retired from Diplomatic Service
6 Caroline Wilson[15]
(zh)		September 2012September 2016 (1970-08-12) 12 August 1970 Minister Counsellor to Moscow, Russia Europe Director at the FCDO
7 Andrew Heyn
(zh)
September 2016December 2020 (1962-01-14) 14 January 1962 Director, Leadership, Governance & Diversity Strategy at the Cabinet Office
– Tamsin Heath (interim) December 2020 Deputy Consul-General to Hong Kong

See also

References
  1. Access, appointment only Please visit www gov uk/world/hong-kong or call +2901 3000; Times, Opening. "British Consulate General Hong Kong - GOV.UK". www.gov.uk.
  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 March 2015, page 16 PDF
  3. "British Embassy Macao". Foreign & Commonwealth Office. Retrieved 12 February 2016.
  4. team, Central (9 November 2010). "Passport application changes for Brits living abroad". webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 10 April 2011.
  5. "Our office in Taipei". webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 10 November 2009.
  6. "Marriage in Taiwan". 2 February 2009. Archived from the original on 2 February 2009.
  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, 22 October 1997
  12. "Explore Architecture". www.architecture.com.
  13. Francis Cornish, South China Morning Post, 31 January 1997
  14. Britain's Hong Kong Consul General in £35 million flat, The Daily Telegraph, 9 June 2013
  15. "Caroline Wilson CMG - GOV.UK". www.gov.uk.
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