As of May 2024, there are 70 diplomatic missions in Hong Kong, of which 62 are consulates-general and 8 are officially recognised bodies in Hong Kong. As Hong Kong has the status of a Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China, some consuls-general in Hong Kong report directly to their respective foreign ministries, rather than to their Embassies in Beijing.
Most of the consulates-general are located in the areas of Central, Admiralty, Wan Chai, Wan Chai North, Causeway Bay and Sheung Wan on Hong Kong Island and a handful in Kowloon. A few are also accredited to Macau.
Greater China representation
The central government of the People's Republic of China in Hong Kong is represented through the Hong Kong Liaison Office.
Taiwan is represented through the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Hong Kong. Consulates General
Countries with no consulate-general in Hong Kong, are most likely to have an embassy in Beijing, making it the closest diplomatic mission for residents in Hong Kong.
A few consuls-general in Hong Kong have the rank of Ambassador, including Brazil, Japan,Consulate-General of Japan Philippines and the United States, while other consuls-general have served elsewhere as Ambassadors or High Commissioners before serving in Hong Kong, for example Australia,Consul-General , Australian Consulate-General, Hong Kong and Macau GermanyGerman Consulate General, Hong Kong Curriculum Vitae, Nikolaus Graf Lambsdorff and Israel.The Consul General, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, State of Israel
Various consulates-general are accredited to both Hong Kong and Macau. The Philippines operates consulates in both territories, and Portugal serves Hong Kong through its Macau consulate. Several consulates serving both Hong Kong and Macau indicate both territories in their official names, while others do not. In 2018 the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China requested that consulates indicate only one of the territories in their official names even if they serve both territories; it did not send this request to the European Union Office to Hong Kong and Macau.
Consulado General de la Republica Argentina en Hong Kong (Consulate General of Australia)Australian Consulate-General Hong Kong Österreichische Generalkonsulat Hongkong
Consulate-General of Belgium in Hong Kong and Macau Consulado Geral do Brasil em Hong Kong
Royal Consulate General of Cambodia, Hong Kong, P.R China Consulate General of Canada in Hong Kong and Macao
Consulado de Colombia en Hong Kong Consulate General of the Czech Republic in Hong Kong
Consulate General of the Arab Republic of Egypt to Hong Kong
Consulate General of Finland in Hong Kong Consulat Général de France à Hong Kong et Macao
German Consulate General, Hong Kong
Consulate General of Hungary in Hong Kong and Macao
Consulate General of India in Hong Kong Konsulat Jenderal Republik Indonesia di Hong Kong
Irish Consulate General Hong Kong Consulate General of Israel in Hong Kong and Macau
Consulate-General of Japan in Hong Kong
Consulate General of the Republic of Kazakhstan in Hong Kong and Macau (Consulate General of Korea) Consulate-General of Kuwait - Hong Kong
Consulate General of the Lao PDR
Consulate General of Mexico in Hong Kong and Macao
(Consulate General of Nepal)Consulate General of Nepal, Hong Kong
New Zealand Consulate-General, Wanchai, Hong Kong Consulate General of Nigeria Hong Kong
Consul de Perú en Hong Kong
Konsulat Generalny Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej w Hongkongu
Royal Consulate General of Saudi Arabia Consulate-General of the Republic of Singapore in Hong Kong South African Consulate-General
(Consulate General of Sweden) Consulate General of Switzerland in Hong Kong
Turkish Consulate General in Hong Kong
(British Consulate General)British Consulate General Hong Kong (United States Consulate General)
Consulate General of Vietnam in Hong Kong SAR, China
Diplomatic Missions , Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Republic of Zimbabwe
Legend † Also accredited to Macau. ‡ Consulates-general resident in Macau and accredited to Hong Kong. x These consulate-general report directly to their respective foreign ministries, rather than to their Embassies in Beijing.
Missions of other recognised bodies Asian–African Legal Consultative Organization - AALCO Hong Kong Regional Arbitration Centre Bank for International Settlements – Representative Office for Asia and the Pacific – Office of the European Commission (Also accredited to Macau) Hague Conference on Private International Law – Asia Pacific Regional Office The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development and The International Finance Corporation – IFC Regional Office for East Asia and Pacific and the World Bank Private Sector Development Office for East Asia and Pacific International Monetary Fund – Hong Kong SAR Sub-Office International Organization for Mediation - Headquarters United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees – Sub-Office
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.Hong Kong's New Constitutional Order: The Resumption of Chinese Sovereignty and the Basic Law, Yash Ghai, Hong Kong University Press, 1997, page 167
However, the United Kingdom's commercial interests were represented by the British Trade Commission.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 The last Senior Trade Commissioner, Francis Cornish, became the first British Consul-General following the transfer of sovereignty to China, on July 1, 1997.Chief Executive holds 'useful, cordial' talks with British Prime Minister, Government of Hong Kong, October 22, 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.The Chinese government resumed exercise of sovereignty over Hong Kong, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, People's Republic of China
As Hong Kong was a Colony (later Dependent Territory) of a Commonwealth country, some Commonwealth countries were represented by Commissions before the handover including Australia,Australian Commission Office Requirements, Sydney Morning Herald, August 18, 1982 Bangladesh,Business Directory of Hong Kong, Current Publications Company, 1988, page 797 Canada,2 China Dissidents Granted Asylum, Fly to Vancouver, Los Angeles Times, September 17, 1992 New Zealand,NZer's credibility under fire in Hong Kong court, New Zealand Herald, March 27, 2006 India,Indians in Limbo as 1997 Hand-over Date Draws Nearer, Inter Press Service, February 12, 1996 Malaysia,Officials puzzled by Malaysian decision, New Straits Times, July 3, 1984 NigeriaAsia, Inc: The Region's Business Magazine, Volume 4, Manager International Company, 1996 and Singapore.Singapore Lure Stirs Crowds In Hong Kong, Chicago Tribune, July 12, 1989
After the transfer of sovereignty, they were renamed Consulates-General.About the Consulate-General Similarly, the title of the head of mission was also changed, from Commissioner to Consul-General.In the swing of things , Embassy Magazine, September 2010 However, the Australian Commission had been renamed the Consulate-General in 1986.Australian Foreign Affairs Record, Volume 56, Issues 7-12, Australian Government Public Service, 1985, page 1153
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.HONG KONG: Consulates Face Deadline Dilemma Over Taiwan Links, IPS News, Oct 31 1996 Similarly, while Pakistan had rejoined the Commonwealth in 1989, the name of the Pakistan Consulate General in Hong Kong also remained unchanged.Pakistan & Gulf Economist, Volume 14, Issues 1-13, S. Akhtar Ali, 1995
At the time of the transfer of sovereignty on 1 July 1997, South Africa did not have diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China, as it had not yet transferred recognition from Taiwan.Taiwan loses a major ally, BBC News, December 30, 1997 However, it was able to maintain its Consulate-General for an interim six-month period, until relations with Beijing were established on 1 January 1998.Statement on Future South Africa/Hong Kong Relations by the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Aziz Pahad, June 12, 1997
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.Summary of World Broadcasts: Asia, Pacific, Issues 2907-2919, BBC, 1996, page E-8 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.Liberian consulate forced to close, South China Morning Post, 10 Oct 1997 However, it later restored diplomatic relations with Beijing in 2003.China, Liberia resume diplomatic ties , Ministry of Foreign Affairs, People's Republic of China
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.North Korea's Macau-based trading venture opens its doors to deny reports of espionage and shady deals, South China Morning Post, 3 September 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.Iran: The Failure of Economic Incentives and Disincentives, Gitty M. Amini, in The New Great Power Coalition: Toward a World Concert of Nations, Richard N. Rosecrance Rowman & Littlefield, 2001, page 149 This had been closed by the British Government in 1989 following the Rushdie Affair.The Rushdie File, Lisa Appignanesi, Sara Maitland Syracuse University Press, 1990, page 120
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.Bhutan: Cautiously Cultivated Positive Perception, Caroline Brassard in A Resurgent China: South Asian Perspectives, S. D. Muni, Tan Tai Yong, page 74
Former missions (Consulate-General until 2018) (Honorary Consulate until 2003) (Honorary Consulate until 2007)Honorary Consul of Benin in the Hong Kong Special Administration of the People's Republic of China (Termination of Appointment) 29 December 2006 (Consulate-General until 2000)Closure of the Consulate General of the Republic of Cape Verde in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (Honorary Consulate until 2006)Honorary Consul of the Central African Republic in the Hong Kong Special Administration of the People's Republic of China (Termination of Appointment) 24 May 2006 (Honorary Consulate until 2009)Honorary Consul of the Democratic Republic of the Congo in the Hong Kong Special Administration of the People's Republic of China (Termination of Appointment) 25 August 2009 (Consulate-General until 2012)Danish Consulate General in Hong Kong to Close Down