The HKSAR Government is reviewing the legacy of colonial language in the laws and regulations, including changing the English translation of“Mainland China” to“Chinese Mainland”.
Hong Kong’s Department of Justice has announced to the Legislative Council that it will submit the third batch of miscellaneous amendments to statute laws, Ming Pao reported Monday. In a paper to the panel on justice and Legal Services of the Legislative Council, the Department of Justice said that due to the technical nature of the proposal and its relative simplicity and directness, the government plans to introduce the Statute Law (miscellaneous provisions) Bill 2026 as soon as possible during the current session of the Legislative Council. The document reiterated that the current goal was to complete the legal adaptation before the end of the current government’s term, which is June 30 next year.
This is the third batch of relevant amendments enacted by the HKSAR Government following similar amendments passed by the Legislative Council in 2024 and 2025. The revision involves changes to more than 120 pieces of legislation and subsidiary legislation, including more than 30 pieces of maritime law alone, the report said.
The report said, for example, that in addition to continuing to amend the current legislation to include“Her Majesty the queen” or changing“Governor” to“Chief Executive,” The draft also proposes replacing the English translation of“Mainland of China” with“Chinese Mainland”, in line with the official translation. The changes will affect 15 main and subsidiary pieces of legislation, including the“Shenzhen Bay Port Hong Kong Port Area (admission) notice” and the“West Kowloon Cultural District Authority Ordinance”.
A number of policy bureaux in Hong Kong have also proposed changes. For example, the transport and Logistics Bureau has proposed to delete references to“British standards” or“British laws” in maritime legislation and update them to international standards.
In addition, the expression“Transfer of sovereignty” in the relevant legal provisions will also be amended to read“The People’s Republic of China resumes the exercise of sovereignty over Hong Kong”. The government said the change was intended to“Accurately reflect what was announced in the sino-british Joint Declaration”.