The Chinese Special Administrative Regions (SARs) of Hong Kong and Macau consist of over 230 islands on either side of the Pearl River Delta in South China, and are
surrounded by the Chinese province of Guangdong to the north and the South China Sea to the west, south and east. The People’s Republic of China (PRC) is responsible for Hong Kong’s foreign affairs and defence.
Hong Kong is an exceptionally competitive financial and business hub. It is the world’s eighth-largest trading economy and one of Asia’s leading financial and business centres. With its regulatory efficiency and openness to global commerce, it is an international financial centre that acts as a conduit into and out of China for both goods and capital, and has been ranked the freest economy in the world by the Heritage Foundation for 24 consecutive years, and is ranked fourth in the World Bank’s 2019 Ease of Doing Business index.
The economy of Macau SAR is reliant on casino gaming and tourism.
