For teaching and research purposes and to promote the Basic Law, the Implementation of the Hong Kong Basic Law Research Project of City University of Hong Kong has decided to publish a pocket-sized edition of the Basic Law, which includes the Basic Law full text (a total of 9 chapters consisting of 160 articles, plus 3 annexes) and all directly related constitutional instruments, including the decisions and legal interpretations of the Basic Law by the National People’s Congress and its standing committee. It is hoped that this lightweight edition can provide an easy and convenient reference for legal professionals, civil servants and the public alike.

The pocket-sized edition of the Basic Law has the following features:

Bilingual Reference
As the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region employs a bilingual legal system where all legislation, including the Basic Law, are enacted in both Chinese and English, this pocket-sized edition provides a parallel, bilingual display which allows readers easy cross-referencing without having to turn pages.
Classification by Category
In previous editions of the Basic Law and constitution-related documents, most instruments have been arranged solely in chronological order. In addition to the full text of the Basic Law, this new edition includes 20 important constitutional decisions and legal interpretations of the Basic Law, which are first divided into 3 categories: Decisions (11 instruments), Decisions regarding Annex III (3 instruments) and Legal Interpretations (6 instruments). Each category is further arranged chronologically, allowing readers to easily search for specific content.
Clear Cross References
In this edition, whenever an article refers to other articles, page numbers to the relevant articles are provided, allowing readers easy access to further information. In addition, editorial notes are clearly indicated by symbols such as “*”, and footnotes can be found at the bottom of the pages.
Easy to Carry
This lightweight and handy edition is especially suitable for tertiary education scholars and students, legal professionals and civil servants for quick and easy referencing.

The Implementation of the Hong Kong Basic Law Research Project City University of Hong Kong March 2017.