The Royal Commonwealth Society (RCS) in Hong Hong
Royal Commonwealth Society, Hong Kong Branch, was established in 1983 and provides a valuable network for Commonwealth citizens in Hong Kong; fosters friendship between people of different cultural and ethnic backgrounds, supports small local charities and promotes the values of the Commonwealth e.g. diversity and tolerance.
The Modern Commonwealth is a free association of 54 independent nations with close historical links, a shared language (English) and shared values of democracy, rule of law, tolerance and diversity. It can also facilitate global trade as doing business with a fellow Commonwealth country represents a 20% saving in cost due to shared language, legal systems and civic organization.
With a population of 2.3 billion (nearly a third of the world’s total) the majority under 25, it represents a very strong soft-power network, which HM The Queen, Head of the Commonwealth, has called ‘A Platform for the Future’.
One Family, One Language – it is defined by the Commonwealth Charter, biennial Heads of Government Meetings (CHOGM) and quadrennial Commonwealth Games.
RCS/HK Branch brings together citizens of Commonwealth countries and their Consuls General in Hong Kong. It organizes speaker lunches and interesting annual events such as charity concerts, exhibitions; an interfaith service in St John’s Cathedral and reception on Commonwealth Day (the second Monday of March); an annual RCS Cricket Cup at the Kowloon Cricket Club; an annual Charity Ball and the Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition (the oldest English language essay competition in the world).
Commonwealth Day and Six Affirmations