Editing Mainland China (section)

=== Legal uses ===
==== Inland China ====
On 30 December 1954, the [[Supreme People's Court|Supreme People's Court of the People's Republic of China]] addressed a marital issue between a spouse residing in Inland and another residing in Hong Kong or Macau. The court used the term "Inland" in its official response, "Reply of the Supreme People's Court Regarding the Handling Opinions on Marital Issues with One Spouse Residing in Inland and the Other in Hong Kong or Macau." This terminology arose from a divorce case between a person from Hong Kong and another from Zhoushan.<ref name="法规C12">{{cite web |author=[[最高人民法院审判委员会]] |title=最高人民法院关于配偶一方居住内地一方居住港澳婚姻问题的处理意见的复函 |url=http://www.people.com.cn/item/flfgk/gwyfg/1954/113718195401.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181023133418/http://www.people.com.cn/item/flfgk/gwyfg/1954/113718195401.html |archive-date=23 October 2018 |access-date=23 October 2018 |website=人民网法律法规库 |language=zh-CN |location=北京 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

On 6 December 1984, in a reply by the Supreme People's Court titled "Reply of the Supreme People's Court on the Issue of Whether Civil Cases Involving Hong Kong and Macau Compatriots Holding '[[British National (Overseas) passport|British National Overseas Passports]]' Issued by the Hong Kong British Authorities and Identity Cards Issued by the Macau Portuguese Authorities in Inland Chinese People’s Courts Should Be Treated as Foreign-Related Cases," it was pointed out that holders of such documents are considered Chinese citizens, not recognizing them as having British or Portuguese nationality; hence their civil cases in Inland Chinese courts should not be treated as foreign-related cases.<ref name="法规C22">{{cite web |author=[[最高人民法院审判委员会]] |title=最高人民法院关于港澳同胞持有"英国属土公民护照"和澳葡当局所发身份证在内地人民法院起诉、应诉的民事案件，是否作为涉外案件问题的批复 |url=http://www.law-lib.com/law/law_view.asp?id=3026 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130702081948/http://www.law-lib.com/law/law_view.asp?id=3026 |archive-date=2 July 2013 |access-date=23 October 2018 |website=法律图书馆 |language=zh-CN |url-status=live |location=北京}}</ref>

On 30 June 2012, the Eleventh National People's Congress passed Article 89 of the "Exit and Entry Administration Law of the People's Republic of China," which states: "Exiting refers to traveling from Inland China to other countries or regions, from Inland China to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, the Macau Special Administrative Region, or from the [[Mainland China]] to the Taiwan region".<ref name="法规C3甲2">{{cite web |title=中华人民共和国出境入境管理法 |url=http://www.mps.gov.cn/n2254996/n2254998/c3912522/content.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181006162933/http://www.mps.gov.cn/n2254996/n2254998/c3912522/content.html |archive-date=6 October 2018 |access-date=23 October 2018 |website=[[国家移民管理局]] |url-status=dead}}</ref> This law symmetrically aligns "Inland China" with the Hong Kong and Macau Special Administrative Regions,<ref name="法规C3甲3">{{cite web |title=中华人民共和国出境入境管理法 |url=http://www.mps.gov.cn/n2254996/n2254998/c3912522/content.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181006162933/http://www.mps.gov.cn/n2254996/n2254998/c3912522/content.html |archive-date=6 October 2018 |access-date=23 October 2018 |website=[[国家移民管理局]] |url-status=dead}}</ref> and in English versions, both are uniformly translated as "Chinese Mainland".<ref name="法规C3乙2">{{cite web |title=《中华人民共和国出境入境管理法》英文版 |url=http://www.mps.gov.cn/n2254996/n2254998/c4221559/content.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181006172908/http://www.mps.gov.cn/n2254996/n2254998/c4221559/content.html |archive-date=6 October 2018 |access-date=6 October 2018 |website=国家移民管理局 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

Additionally, the term "Inland residents" is commonly used in contexts related to immigration control, tourism, and marriage, such as individual travel from Hong Kong and Macau, and [[Mainland Travel Permit for Hong Kong and Macao Resident|Inland Travel Permits]] for Hong Kong and Macau residents.<ref name="2020covid2">{{cite news |author=[[国家移民管理局]] |date=3 February 2020 |title=中华人民共和国出入境管理局调整疫情防控期间内地居民往来港澳地区出入境管理政策措施 |url=http://www.locpg.gov.cn/jsdt/2020-02/03/c_1210460190.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200204062630/http://www.locpg.gov.cn/jsdt/2020-02/03/c_1210460190.htm |archive-date=4 February 2020 |accessdate=20 February 2021 |quote=要求各地执行[[2019冠状病毒病中国大陆疫情|新型冠状病毒感染的肺炎疫情]]防控期间[...]，[[春节]]假期结束后，自上班日起，全国公安机关出入境管理部门暂停受理、审批、签发内地居民赴港澳旅游签注（含团队旅游、个人旅游、深圳“[[一周一行]]”）}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last= |first= |date=2001 |title=内地居民往来港澳地区 |url=http://www.gd.xinhuanet.com/web/gdga/churujing/ga1c.htm |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20030925205421/http://www.gd.xinhuanet.com/web/gdga/churujing/ga1c.htm |archivedate=25 September 2003 |accessdate=20 February 2021 |newspaper=新华广东公安网 |publisher=[[新华社]]广东分社网络中心、[[广东省交通厅]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=3 April 2020 |title=内地居民前往港澳定居办事指南 |url=http://gaj.dg.gov.cn/jzfl/crjglzd/bszn/content/post_3029247.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210516034313/http://gaj.dg.gov.cn/jzfl/crjglzd/bszn/content/post_3029247.html |archive-date=16 May 2021 |access-date=20 February 2021 |publisher=东莞市公安局}}<!---https://archive.today/FKAKR---></ref><ref>{{cite web |date=13 May 2019 |title=已开办内地居民个人赴港澳地区旅游城市 |url=https://www.nia.gov.cn/n741445/n741604/n741653/c906200/content.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210516034321/https://www.nia.gov.cn/n741445/n741604/n741653/c906200/content.html |archive-date=16 May 2021 |access-date=20 February 2021 |website=[[国家移民管理局]]}}<!---https://archive.today/SzfXx---></ref>

==== Hong Kong ====
In 1997, the [[Standing Committee of the National People's Congress|Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC)]] passed the "Decision of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress on Handling the Existing Laws of Hong Kong in Accordance with Article 160 of the Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China", which required that any references in Hong Kong laws to "[[Mainland China|Mainland]]," "Taiwan," "Hong Kong," and "Macau" should be interpreted as referring to parts of the People's Republic of China.<ref name="法规H12">{{cite web |author=[[第十三届全国人民代表大会常务委员会]] |title=全国人民代表大会常务委员会关于根据《中华人民共和国香港特别行政区基本法》第一百六十条处理香港原有法律的决定 |url=http://www.npc.gov.cn/wxzl/gongbao/1997-02/23/content_1480143.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181015231537/http://www.npc.gov.cn/wxzl/gongbao/1997-02/23/content_1480143.htm |archive-date=15 October 2018 |access-date=15 October 2018 |website=中国人大网 |language=zh-CN |url-status=live |location=北京}}</ref> The Hong Kong Interpretation and General Clauses Ordinance stipulates that "‘China’ refers to the People's Republic of China", and "‘the People's Republic of China’ includes the Hong Kong and Macau Special Administrative Regions".<ref name="法规H22">{{Cite web |author1=中华人民共和国商务部、中华人民共和国香港特别行政区财政司 |title=《内地与香港关于建立更紧密经贸关系的安排》 服务贸易协议 |url=http://tga.mofcom.gov.cn/article/zt_cepanew/fwmyxy/201511/20151101196067.shtml |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180318155647/http://tga.mofcom.gov.cn/article/zt_cepanew/fwmyxy/201511/20151101196067.shtml |archive-date=18 March 2018 |accessdate=15 October 2018 |website=中华人民共和国商务部门户网站 |language=zh-cn |url-status=live |location=北京}}</ref>

In 2003, the [[Ministry of Commerce (China)|Ministry of Commerce]] and the [[Financial Secretary (Hong Kong)|Financial Secretary of Hong Kong]] signed the "[[Mainland and Hong Kong Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement|Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement (CEPA) between Inland and Hong Kong]]" defining "Inland" as "all the tariff territory of the People's Republic of China".<ref name="HKc5973">{{Cite web |title=第597章 《內地判決（交互強制執行）條例》 |url=https://www.elegislation.gov.hk/hk/cap597!zh-Hant-hk |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211123010856/https://www.elegislation.gov.hk/hk/cap597%21zh-Hant-hk |archive-date=23 November 2021 |accessdate=18 March 2017 |publisher=電子版香港法例 |language=zh-hant |location=香港}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=第362H章 《商品說明（製造地方）（織片成衣）令》 |url=https://www.elegislation.gov.hk/hk/cap362h!zh-Hant-hk/s4 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211123010907/https://www.elegislation.gov.hk/hk/cap362H%21zh-Hant-hk/s4 |archive-date=23 November 2021 |accessdate=18 March 2017 |publisher=電子版香港法例 |language=zh-hant |location=香港}}</ref>

After Hong Kong's return in 1997, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government began to frequently use the term "Inland" in official documents and press releases, replacing terms commonly used during the British colonial period such as "China" or "[[Mainland China|Chinese Mainland]]". In Hong Kong laws, "Inland" is defined as any part of China except for Hong Kong and Macau. For example, Hong Kong's Air Pollution Control (Ocean Going Vessels) (Fuel at Berth) Regulation, Cap 311AA, specifies that "Inland means any part of China, but excludes Hong Kong and Macau."<ref>{{Cite web |title=第311AA章 《空氣污染管制（遠洋船隻）（停泊期間所用燃料）規例》 |url=https://www.elegislation.gov.hk/hk/cap311aa!zh-Hant-hk |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211123033353/https://www.elegislation.gov.hk/hk/cap311AA%21zh-Hant-hk |archive-date=23 November 2021 |accessdate=18 March 2017 |publisher=電子版香港法例 |language=zh-hant |location=香港}}</ref> [[Guangzhou–Shenzhen–Hong Kong Express Rail Link|The Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link (Co-location) Ordinance, Cap 632]], defines "Inland" as "parts of China other than Hong Kong and Macau".<ref>{{Cite web |title=第311AA章 《空氣污染管制（遠洋船隻）（停泊期間所用燃料）規例》 |url=https://www.elegislation.gov.hk/hk/cap311aa!zh-Hant-hk |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211123033353/https://www.elegislation.gov.hk/hk/cap311AA%21zh-Hant-hk |archive-date=23 November 2021 |accessdate=18 March 2017 |publisher=電子版香港法例 |language=zh-hant |location=香港}}</ref>

On 1 April 2006, the "Inland Affairs Liaison Office," under the Constitutional Affairs Bureau, was established, and on 1 July 2007, during the administration of Donald Tsang, it was renamed the "[[Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Bureau|Constitutional and Inland Affairs Bureau]]".<ref name="报道H12">{{Cite web |author1=马时亨 |title=立法会：商务及经济发展局局长就「发展与內地的合作关系」的动议辩论致辞全文（只有中文） |url=https://www.cmab.gov.hk/gb/speech/speech_1569.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201116112253/https://www.cmab.gov.hk/gb/speech/speech_1569.htm |archive-date=16 November 2020 |accessdate=15 October 2018 |website=政制及内地事务局 |language=zh-hans |location=香港 |url-status=live}}</ref>

==== Macao ====
In 1999, the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC) passed the "Decision of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress on Handling the Existing Laws of Macau in Accordance with Article 145 of the Basic Law of the Macau Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China." This decision required that any references in Macau's laws that mentioned Inland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau, either individually or together, should be interpreted as referring to parts of the People's Republic of China.<ref name="法规M12">{{Cite web |author1=全国人民代表大会常务委员会 |title=全国人民代表大会常务委员会关于根据《中华人民共和国澳门特别行政区基本法》第一百四十五条处理澳门原有法律的决定 |url=http://www.npc.gov.cn/wxzl/gongbao/2001-02/06/content_5004755.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181015192420/http://www.npc.gov.cn/wxzl/gongbao/2001-02/06/content_5004755.htm |archive-date=15 October 2018 |accessdate=15 October 2018 |website=中国人大网 |language=zh-cn |url-status=live |location=北京}}</ref> Law No. 1/1999 of Macau, also known as the "Reunification Law," restated relevant parts of the decision in its Annex IV.<ref name="法规M42">{{Cite web |author1=中华人民共和国澳门特别行政区立法会 |title=澳門特別行政區 第1/1999號法律 回歸法 |url=https://bo.io.gov.mo/bo/i/1999/01/lei01_cn.asp |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201102044219/https://bo.io.gov.mo/bo/i/1999/01/lei01_cn.asp |archive-date=2 November 2020 |accessdate=15 October 2018 |website=澳门特别行政区印务局 |language=zh-cn |location=澳门 |url-status=live}}</ref>

In 2003, the Ministry of Commerce and Macau's Secretary for Economy and Finance signed the "[[Mainland and Hong Kong Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement|Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement (CEPA) between Inland and Macau]]" which defined "Inland" as "all the tariff territory of the People's Republic of China".<ref name="法规M23">{{Cite web |author1=中华人民共和国商务部、中华人民共和国澳门特别行政区经济财政司 |title=《内地与澳门关于建立更紧密经贸关系的安排》 服务贸易协议 |url=http://tga.mofcom.gov.cn/article/zt_cepanew/afwmyxy/201511/20151101196720.shtml |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171029051412/http://tga.mofcom.gov.cn/article/zt_cepanew/afwmyxy/201511/20151101196720.shtml |archive-date=29 October 2017 |accessdate=15 October 2018 |website=中华人民共和国商务部门户网站 |language=zh-cn |url-status=live |location=北京}}</ref>

After the handover in 1999, the Macau Special Administrative Region government began to use the term "Inland" extensively in official documents and press releases, replacing the terms commonly used during the Portuguese administration. In Macau's laws and international treaties where the term "international" is involved, this generally excludes Inland China and Hong Kong. For example, in the "Air Services Agreement between the Government of the Macau Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China and the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland," it is stipulated that "locations in Inland China and Hong Kong shall not be used as intermediate or beyond points."<ref name="法规M32">{{Cite web |author1=大不列颠及北爱尔兰联合王国政府、中华人民共和国澳门特别行政区政府 |title=中華人民共和國澳門特別行政區政府與大不列顛及北愛爾蘭聯合王國政府航班協定 |url=https://bo.io.gov.mo/bo/i/2004/07/aviso03_cn.asp |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181015192625/https://bo.io.gov.mo/bo/i/2004/07/aviso03_cn.asp |archive-date=15 October 2018 |accessdate=15 October 2018 |website=澳门特别行政区印务局 |language=zh-cn |url-status=live |location=澳门}}</ref>