The Hong Kong Red Cross (Chinese: 香港紅十字會) is the national Red Cross society of Hong Kong as part of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. It was established officially on 12 July 1950 as a branch of the British Red Cross Society in Hong Kong. Since 1 July 1997, upon the transfer of Hong Kong's sovereignty to the People's Republic of China, the Hong Kong Red Cross has changed its affiliation to become a special branch of the Red Cross Society of China, but remains autonomous from it.