Constitution and Administration | 15
Working Relationship of the HKSAR Government with the Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA Office)
The HKSAR Government continues to work closely with the MFA Office in Hong Kong, which was established by the CPG, in the following areas:
as
(a) participation in international organisations and conferences, such
obtaining the CPG's approval for HKSAR Government officials to participate as members of the PRC delegation in international conferences limited to states;
(b) negotiation and conclusion of international agreements, such as obtaining
the CPG's specific authorisation for the negotiation and conclusion of agreements with foreign states in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Basic Law;
(c) consular protection for Hong Kong people in distress overseas; and
(d) matters relating to consular missions in the HKSAR. The establishment of foreign consular and other official or semi-official missions is a matter for the MFA Office. The HKSAR Government is responsible for the day-to-day management of the consular corps.
Working Relationship with the Mainland Authorities
The Government continues to maintain a cordial working relationship with the CPG and other Mainland authorities. This is enhanced through visits, meetings, seminars and other exchanges.
The Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council (HKMAO) assists the HKSAR Government in developing contacts with the Mainland authorities. The Government also liaises closely with the HKMAO on matters of mutual concern and on arrangements for official visits between the Mainland and Hong Kong.
Article 22 of the Basic Law states that no department of the CPG and no province, autonomous region, or municipality directly under the Central Government may interfere in the affairs which the HKSAR administers on its own in accordance with the Basic Law.
The Constitutional Affairs Bureau was retitled Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Bureau with effect from July 1, 2007 to reflect more clearly one of the bureau's key functions: co-ordinating and promoting closer ties and co-operation with the Mainland. The bureau's Mainland Affairs Liaison Office is responsible for co-ordinating contacts between the HKSAR Government and the Mainland authorities, as well as promoting regional co-operation initiatives between Hong Kong and the Mainland. It also oversees the running of HKSAR Government's Mainland Offices.
Over the past year, the HKSAR Government liaised closely with the relevant central government authorities to take forward HKSAR's work in complementing the National 12th Five-Year Plan (Five-Year Plan) under the established working and
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