| Abstract | With the signing of the Sino-British Joint Declaration in 1984, and the subsequent promulgation of the Basic Law in 1990, the need to increase the use of Chinese in the legal sector has mounted. The Joint Declaration provides that 'the laws currently in force in Hong Kong will remain basically unchanged' (Article 3(3)) and 'In addition to Chinese, English may also be used in organs of government and in the courts in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region'(Annex I(I)). In other words, all legislation enacted in Hong Kong after 1997, will have to be in Chinese, although it may 'in addition' be in English. Chinese will enjoy a status at least parallel to, if not better than, that of English. |
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