High Court District Court Magistrates' Court Special courts and tribunals: Chief Executive Elections Legislative elections District council elections Consular missions in Hong Kong Hong Kong–China relations Hong Kong–Taiwan relations Principal officials (Chinese: 主要官員), according to the Basic Law, are government officials who are nominated by the Chief Executive and appointed by the State Council of the People's Republic of China.
They are required to be citizens of the People's Republic of China who are permanent residents of Hong Kong with no right of abode in any foreign country who have ordinarily resided in Hong Kong for a continuous period of not less than 15 years.
When assuming office, they must, in accordance with law, swear to uphold the Basic Law and swear their allegiance to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China.
Since the introduction of the Principal Officials Accountability System on 1 July 2002 (and since 2008 Political Appointments System), secretaries of departments and secretaries of bureaux (but not the other five officials) are political appointees.
The civil servants who held the positions of secretaries of bureaux have their titles changed to permanent secretaries, and are no longer principal officials.