Deputy Secretary of Justice Cheung Kwok-kwan speaks at the 35th Anniversary Gala Dinner of the School of Law of City University of Hong Kong on September 24, 2022, on September 24, 2022. PHOTO HKSAR GOVERNMENT HONG KONG - Highlighting Hong Kong's status as an international legal services hub, Deputy Secretary for Justice Cheung Kwok-kwan said on Saturday that there are immense opportunities ahead for the city's legal and dispute resolution profession.
In a speech by Cheung at the 35th Anniversary Gala Dinner of the School of Law of City University of Hong Kong, Cheung said the National 14th Five-Year Plan and the Outline Development Plan for the Greater Bay Area explicitly support Hong Kong's development into a center for international legal and dispute resolution services in the Asia-Pacific region.
The close connection between Hong Kong and the world market and the strong support from the motherland are some of the distinctive advantages that Cheung said are remarked by President Xi.
There are immense opportunities for the legal and dispute resolution profession in Hong Kong, as well as other national development initiatives like the Belt and Road. He encouraged the legal sector to take advantage of the opportunities by enhancing cooperation and collaboration between the two legal systems in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and the Chinese mainland.
ALSO READ: HK to build an international legal hub by capitalizing on rule of law.
Cheung noted that the GBA Legal Professional Examination GBA exam, which has been successfully held in the last couple of years, facilitates the flow of legal talent within the GBA and allows qualified HKSAR legal practitioners to provide legal services in the GBA on specific civil and commercial legal matters.
The Department of Justice DoJ and the Supreme People's Court have collaborated to provide practical training for those who have passed the GBA exam to enhance the provision of legal services within the GBA by HKSAR legal practitioners, he said.
Cheung said that the DoJ has stepped up its efforts to foster closer legal, mutual legal assistance in civil and commercial matters with the mainland.
He noted that nine arrangements with mainland authorities have been concluded on matters relating to mutual legal assistance.
ALSO READ: Justice chief: HK to consolidate position as global legal hub.
The arrangement on mutual enforcement of arbitral awards is an important role, as these arrangements are working well and play an important role, according to Cheung.
The arrangement helps Hong Kong improve its status as an international legal and dispute resolution center in the Asia-Pacific region, he said.
With the signing of the Arrangement on Interim Measures in Aid of Arbitral Proceedings between the mainland and the HKSAR in 2019, the territory becomes the first jurisdiction outside the mainland where parties to arbitral proceedings administered by the six eligible arbitral institutions can apply directly to the mainland courts for interim measures.
The three legal departments in the GBA Joint Conference Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao have agreed on common accreditation standards and code of conduct best practice of the GBA mediators. He said they are actively exploring other collaborations in different aspects, such as arbitration, capacity building, professional exchanges.