The Republic of Xiang Gang （香港共和国）is a state in the Meritocracy. Although ancient, with a population of over 6 billion, it was insular for much of its existence. After a 30-year-long economic boom, the developed economy is now cooling. Government expenditure has increased greatly over the past 5 years as the government turns to the improvement of the quality of life of its citizens instead of improvement of the conditions for big business.

The Republic is a member of the Meritocratic Accords Senate. It is a neutral state, with pacifism and humanitarianism as its defining doctrines.

Xiang Gang

Flag and Seal of the Republic
Flag of Xiang Gang
Motto: HUMANITY （仁）
not available
Region	The Meritocracy
Capital	Yongjing
Official Language(s)	Chinese
Leader	Dr Wu Tong, Minister-President of the State Council
Population	over 6 billion
Currency	Denarius
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Politics

Xiang Gang is a free, democratic republic with the rule of law, before which all citizens are equal. It exhibits the characteristics of a federation in some areas of policy and a unitary state in others.

President

The highest officer of state is that of the president（总统）. He or she, upon election by Parliament, has the primary obligation to defend the constitution and the rights of the citizens. The president has a symbolic role as head of state, but has few powers and may serve only one 6-year term. The current president is Mr Li Dabao.

Minister-President

The head of the government is the Minister-President of the State Council (国务院总理). Upon election by Parliament and appointment by the president the minster-president controls and is accountable for the actions of the Central Government.

State Council

The highest functions of the state are carried out by the State Council （国务院）, whose 8 members are chosen by the minister-president and approved en-masse by Parliament. The state council accepts and sends letters of credence, controls the military, may appoint a general in times of war, appoints the members of the federal court and summons and dissolves the legislature. It has the following members:-

President of the State Council, Secretary of State;

Director of the Central Department for foreign relations;

Director of the Central Department of finances;

Director of the Central Department for defence and civil protection;

Director of the Federal Department of the interior;

Director of the Federal Department of the economy;

Director of the Federal Department for transport and communications;

Director of the Federal Department for justice and security;

Director of the Federal Department for health and welfare.

The members of the state council are also members of the General Federal Commission （联邦总委员会）, which is a larger council upon which the chairmen of federal committees also serve. Federal committees coordinate areas of federal cooperation but under cantonal jurisdiction. The most prominent amongst these are the chairmen of the Federal committee for Culture, the Federal committee for Energy, the Federal committee for the Environment and the Federal committee for Education. Each department has several ministers with varying competencies serving in it.

Parliament

Parliament （议会）is the supreme organ of state power. Its 1150 members are elected by the additional member system, and are lead by the presiding officer （主席）, whom they elect. The parliament sits in plenary session twice a year to review the legislation passed in the session beforehand, announce the legislation tabled for the session ahead and look at calls for an amendment to the constitution. The minister-president of the State Council gives a full report to the lower house of parliament, the Federal House, every week and to the upper house, the Federal Council, every month. The president gives an annual address to the two houses assembled.

Federal House

The Federal House (联邦院）has 950 members elected from open cantonal party lists, with the number of seats allocated based on population. It is the more powerful chamber and is elected every 5 years.

Federal Council

The Federal Council (联邦会）consists of 200 members; 100 are elected from national party lists based on the party votes in the Federal House elections; 100 are appointed as experts by the State Council, the Federal House and the Federal Institute of Science and Federal Institute for the Arts. The members sit for 10 years, with half of the elected members being replaced every 5. It is a house of review, which can only delay and suggest amendments to the legislation proposed by the Federal House, which may, by a vote of 60%, overrule it after it has refused to pass legislation. Experts are often called to speak before the Federal Council: it is known to make slower, more considered judgements than the House.

High Council

The High Council (高会） is a body of 15 citizens which may rule that a law is unconstitutional and return it to the Parliament. 5 of its members are chosen by (but not from) the members of the Federal Council; 5 in the same fashion by the Federal House. 2 are appointed by the Minister-president; 2 by the President. The Ombudsman (申诉专员) is elected by (but not from) the Parliament for a term of 6 years and chairs the council. With a member of parliament or 10 members of a local parliament as a sponsor, or 1000 signatures, the council may be petitioned.

The Ombudsman presides over the independent bodies of the Central Government, including The Independent Appointments Committee, The Freedom of Information Bureau, The Council of the Cantonal Ombudsmen and The Commission for Government Transparency. The 2 Provosts Marshal are chosen by the ombudsman to monitor the intelligence services and the army, and ensure that they do no harm to the citizenry.

Judiciary

Xiang Gang has a free, independent judiciary. The highest court of the land is the Federal Court. Subordinate to it are the High Courts (at cantonal level) and the Courts (at district level).

Federal Court

The supreme court of appeal is the the Federal Court（联邦法院）, which has several chambers and meets with 9 justices in each trial. The Independent Appointments Committee chooses the justices.

Jury System

In solemn trials in the courts of the communities and, when used as a court of first instance, the high courts use juries as the finders of fact. A jury of 15 adults is assized from the populace of the area and called upon, by majority, to find the guilt or otherwise of a defendent beyond reasonable doubt. The presiding judge guides them and sentences based on their verdict.

Security

Army

The Republic of Xiang Gang maintains an all-volunteer army, the State Militia （国家民军）, which, although small in proportion to its population, is well-trained. It is set up only for defence of the country and is structured as follows:-

• Command and Logistics Network: Central Command with links to offices in every base
• Land Defence Network: 115 000 area defence batallions
• Air Defence Network: 70 national air defence network bases
• Strategic Air Branch: special air support; 10 bases
• Military Police Branch: office in each military base
• Maritime Defence Network: 2 bases specialising in offshore defence; submarines, large vessels (including single aircraft carrier) to maintain territorial waters on the Donghai Inlet and the Jianghu Lake.
• Amphibious Defence Network: 300 specialised beach defence and shallow waters defence bases
• River and Lake Defence Network: 30 specialised river and lake defence bases
• Special Foreign Branch: troops trained, for whatever reason, to go abroad; 1 base

Medical Corps

The Xiang Gang Medical Corps is an unarmed and independent arm of the militia, which is concerned with administering emergency medical care abroad and in the country, in certain circumstances.

Marechaussee

The marechaussee is a small paramilitary organisation which takes control of the country's borders and the highways near them, all of which have collapsible concrete roofs to slow an invasion. It also has an elite anti-terror group, the Marechausse Group 7. Marechaussee units can be sent abroad to take part in peacekeeping operations.

Ranks

Recruit

Commando

Lieutenant (commands a militia unit flies an F/A-18 or Eurocopter Cougar)

Captain (commands an militia troop; flies the F/A-18 commanding an air group)

Major (commands a territorial defence post; senior officer on a frigate Lafayette; commands a fighter group in the air)

Lieutenant Colonel (commands a militia troop; first officer of a frigate Lafayette; commands a fighter group in the air)

Colonel (commands a militia section; captains a frigate Lafayette or Foudre-class landing platform; controls the air operations of a base)

Brigadier (commands a base or militia brigade; controls air operations in an area; commands a group of vessels or the air carrier)

Corps Commandant (heads a branch or network)

General (appointed in wartime only)

Xiang Gang is almost landlocked, with only a small inlet separating to the ocean and a large lake forming its natural western limit. The high mountains of Xiang Gang's interior are populated with military defence posts and large bunkers full of equipment primed for use. Its beaches are protected by military posts, as are its cities. Xiang Gang, however, manages to spend a similar amount on defence to similar-sized countries, as it has no offensive capability.

National Police Force

The National Police Force (国家察务处) is the civilian police force of the country. The force has a small central bureaucracy with most policing in the hands of the local canton.

General Intelligence Service

The General Intelligence Service (总情报署) is the unified intelligence service for the state. It is a civilian organisation and is mostly involved in domestic security. It focuses on domestic non-military threats, particularly from terrorism. Its operatives, based on the Monitoring Institute's intelligence, combats foreign espionage in the country. It also monitors certain groups deemed to be dangerous, protects foreign and government officials in the country and performs background checks on those to be employed in positions of high authority in the government.

Its Monitoring Institute (监控所) is involved in foreign operations and international signals intelligence. It liases with foreign intelligence services.

The Provost Marshal for the Intelligence Service ensures that the service does not break the law.

Administrative Divisions

Xiang Gang is divided into 273 cantons (君）(sometimes translated as "regions"), each of which has autonomy in local affairs. Of these regions, 152 are urban, whilst 121 are not centred on one large city.

Each canton has its own basic law, legislature, courts and unicameral cantonal parliament. Cantons control policing in their area, raise their units of the army, control education in the canton, control healthcare in the canton within the scope of central government policy and control utilities and basic public services.

Transport, energy, scientific research of national importance, healthcare policy, university education policy, military policy, security, civil protection and foreign affairs are the exclusive domain of the Central Government. Cantons receive all the income tax proceeds in their canton, as well as a grant, whilst all other tax is taken by the Republic.

The cities of Yongjing, Linhe, Hancheng, Baojin, Shancheng and Zhongping are the Republic's largest, and are each a federal union of several cantons. They are governed by federal parliaments and federal executive councils and have no cantonal government.

Yongjing is the capital city.

Government structure

Media

Xiang Gang has a varied and dynamic media sector. Most newspapers and television stations are national and based in Yongjing, particularly its Dayi City.

There is full editorial freedom in all sectors except digital terrestrial television, which must remain politically neutral.

Xiang Gang Television (XDT) is the publically-funded television network; it broadcasts three terrestrial channels: XDT-News, XDT-Inform and XDT-Entertainment.