Hong Kong, SAR
In 1997, the People’s Republic of China (PRC) assumed sovereignty over Hong Kong and Hong Kong is now a Special Administrative Region of the PRC. Hong Kong has its own mini-constitution, called the Basic Law, which governs the laws applicable specifically to the region of Hong Kong. The Basic Law took effect on July 1, 1997 after the handover of Hong Kong from Britain to the PRC. All the laws previously in force in Hong Kong (including common law, statutes, etc) are maintained under the Basic Law except for any that contravene the Basic Law, and subject to any amendment by the Hong Kong Legislative Council. National laws of the PRC are not applied in Hong Kong except for those listed in Annex III of the Basic Law, which concern matters such as consular privileges and immunities.
Hong Kong operates under a common law legal system and its courts are separate from those in the PRC. In the event of conflict between statutory law and common law, the former will prevail. Commercial disputes exceeding HKD3 million (around USD385,000) are usually brought in the Court of First Instance of the High Court. Smaller claims are brought in the District Court or the Small Claims Tribunal. There are also specialized courts and tribunals, such as the Labour Tribunal and Lands Tribunal, which handle specific types of disputes. The highest appellate court in Hong Kong is the Court of Final Appeal, which hears appeals on both civil and criminal matters. In Hong Kong, the lower courts will be bound by the decisions and judgments of the higher courts.
Court proceedings may be conducted in either Chinese or English. Irrespective of the language used in the proceedings, witnesses may give evidence in the language of their choice and the court will accordingly arrange for interpretation facilities.