62%; seats by party - (pro-Beijing 34) DAB 12, Liberal Party 10,
independents 11, FTU 1; (pro-democracy 25) independents 11,
Democratic Party 9, CTU 2, ADPL 1, Frontier Party 1, NWSC 1
Judicial branch:
Court of Final Appeal in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
Political parties and leaders:
Association for Democracy and People's Livelihood or ADPL
[Frederick FUNG Kin-kee, chairman]; Citizens Party [Alex CHAN
Kai-chung]; Democratic Alliance for the Betterment of Hong Kong or
DAB [MA Lik, chairman]; Democratic Party [LEE Wing-tat, chairman];
Frontier Party [Emily LAU Wai-hing, chairwoman]; Liberal Party
[James TIEN Pei-chun, chairman]
note: political blocs include: pro-democracy - Association for
Democracy and People's Livelihood, Democratic Party, Frontier Party;
pro-Beijing - Democratic Alliance for the Betterment of Hong Kong,
Hong Kong Progressive Alliance, Liberal Party
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Chinese General Chamber of Commerce (pro-China); Chinese
Manufacturers' Association of Hong Kong; Confederation of Trade
Unions (pro-democracy) [LAU Chin-shek, president; LEE Cheuk-yan,
general secretary]; Federation of Hong Kong Industries; Federation
of Trade Unions (pro-China) [CHENG Yiu-tong, executive councilor];
Hong Kong Alliance in Support of the Patriotic Democratic Movement
in China [Szeto WAH, chairman]; Hong Kong and Kowloon Trade Union
Council (pro-Taiwan); Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce; Hong
Kong Professional Teachers' Union [CHEUNG Man-kwong, president]; The
Alliance [Bernard CHAN, exco member]
International organization participation: APEC, AsDB, BIS, ICC, ICFTU, IHO, IMF, IMO (associate), Interpol (subbureau), IOC, ISO (correspondent), UPU, WCL, WCO, WMO, WToO (associate), WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US: none (special administrative region of China)
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Consul General James KEITH consulate(s) general: 26 Garden Road, Hong Kong mailing address: PSC 461, Box 1, FPO AP 96521–0006 telephone: [852] 2523–9011 FAX: [852] 2524–0860
Flag description: red with a stylized, white, five-petal bauhinia flower in the center
Economy Hong Kong
Economy - overview:
Hong Kong has a free market economy highly dependent on
international trade. Natural resources are limited, and food and raw
materials must be imported. Imports and exports, including
reexports, each exceed GDP in dollar value. Even before Hong Kong
reverted to Chinese administration on 1 July 1997 it had extensive
trade and investment ties with China. Hong Kong has been further
integrating its economy with China because China's growing openness
to the world economy has increased competitive pressure on Hong
Kong's service industries, and Hong Kong's re-export business from
China is a major driver of growth. Per capita GDP compares with the
level in the four big economies of Western Europe. GDP growth
averaged a strong 5% in 1989–1997, but Hong Kong suffered two
recessions in the past 6 years because of the Asian financial crisis
in 1998 and the global downturn of 2001–2002. The Severe Acute
Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) outbreak also battered Hong Kong's
economy, but a boom in tourism from the mainland because of China's
easing of travel restrictions, a return of consumer confidence, and
a solid rise in exports resulted in the resumption of strong growth
in late 2003.
GDP:
purchasing power parity - $213 billion (2003 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
3.3% (2003 est.)
GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $28,800 (2003 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 0.1% industry: 12.1% services: 87.9% (2003 est.)
Investment (gross fixed):
22.3% of GDP (2003)
Population below poverty line:
NA
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA
highest 10%: NA
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
−2.6% (2003 est.)
Labor force:
3.5 million (2003 est.)
Labor force - by occupation:
manufacturing 8.2%, construction 2.9%, wholesale and retail trade,
restaurants, and hotels 43.5%, financing, insurance, and real estate
19.5%, transport and communications 7.8%, community and social
services 17.8% (Note: above data exclude public sector) (2002 est.)
Unemployment rate:
7.9% (2003)
Budget:
revenues: $26.17 billion
expenditures: $32.64 billion, including capital expenditures of $5
billion (2003)
Agriculture - products:
fresh vegetables, poultry, fish, pork
Industries:
textiles, clothing, tourism, banking, shipping, electronics,
plastics, toys, watches, clocks
Industrial production growth rate:
−9.2% (2003 est.)
Electricity - production:
30.48 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - consumption:
37.12 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - exports:
1.581 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - imports:
10.36 billion kWh (2001)
Oil - production:
0 bbl/day (2001 est.)
Oil - consumption:
257,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)
Oil - exports:
NA (2001)
Oil - imports:
NA (2001)
Natural gas - production:
0 cu m (2001 est.)
Natural gas - consumption:
680.9 million cu m (2001 est.)
Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2001 est.)
Natural gas - imports: