Consulates, global bodies in Hong Kong must win approval from China’s foreign ministry to extend property leases
- Government reveals new arrangement for consulates and high-level international bodies to gain approval for extending leases for properties they own
- Development Bureau does not name consulates concerned, but says move affects about 110 cases
Consulates and global bodies will have to win the approval of China’s foreign ministry arm in Hong Kong to extend their property leases in the city, the government has said.
The Development Bureau revealed the new requirement on Thursday, but did not mention by name any of the 63 consulates or eight officially recognised bodies operating in Hong Kong.
The bureau said about 110 cases, involving 10 plots of land and 100 flats, would be affected by the rule. It also refused to disclose the lease expiry dates, citing privacy reasons.
“In the absence of the Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China in the HKSAR’s approval, the lease will not be extended upon expiry,” the bureau said in a document submitted to the Legislative Council.
Failure to win approval would result in the consulate or organisation effectively ceding ownership to the Financial Secretary Incorporated, a government authority, according to the document.
A bureau spokeswoman stressed that the arrangement would not apply to properties rented by the foreign entities.
The recognised organisations include bodies such as the Office of the European Union and the representative office of the International Monetary Fund.
