Welcome to the Basic Law homepage.

The Basic Law was adopted at the Third Session of the Seventh National People's Congress on 4 April 1990 and was officially promulgated on the same day. The Basic Law is a constitutional document of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) which sets out clearly the country's basic policies regarding Hong Kong. It enshrines within a legal document the important concepts of "one country, two systems", "Hong Kong people administering Hong Kong" and a high degree of autonomy. It also prescribes the various systems to be practised in the HKSAR and sets out the blueprint for the HKSAR's future development.

The Basic Law has been in effect since 1 July 1997. It safeguards the prosperity and stability of Hong Kong and also protects the rights and freedoms of Hong Kong residents. It is important for Hong Kong people, the Mainland residents, as well as people in other countries to get to know the Basic Law.

We have set up this homepage to provide not just the full text of the Basic Law, but also some useful facts about the promulgation of the Basic Law, information about the implementation of the Basic Law, publicity materials that promote understanding of the Basic Law as well as links to some related websites. We hope that this homepage would deepen your understanding of the Basic Law, a document closely related to our lives, and enhance your understanding of the constitutional document of historical and international significance which makes good on the country's promise to Hong Kong and forms the foundation of Hong Kong's success.

Basic Law Promotion Steering Committee