Hong Kong legal sector must seize on unique strengths of ‘one country, two systems’ to seek more business in mainland China: justice minister
- Secretary for Justice Paul Lam tells legal forum ‘to make good use of Hong Kong’s unique status under one country, two systems’
- Minister adds new law allowing local courts to enforce civil and commercial judgments laid down by mainland counterparts could be passed by year-end
Hong Kong’s justice minister has urged the legal sector to make full use of the city’s unique strengths under “one country, two systems” to seek more opportunities in mainland China and help promote the development of the country’s rule of law.
Secretary for Justice Paul Lam Ting-kwok on Thursday also hailed agreements between the city and the mainland made in recent years, including deals on arbitration, mutual recognition and assistance in corporate bankruptcy proceedings, as well as mediation and online dispute resolution.
The minister compared the rule of law to the signboards of famous stores, telling a legal forum: “The key issue is how to make good use of Hong Kong’s unique status under one country, two systems and the ‘golden sign’ of the rule of law … to seek more opportunities for the legal and business circles.”
How to provide high-quality legal services across the border, as well as promoting the development of the nation’s rule of law, were also chief among his concerns, Lam said.
The city’s justice department would continue negotiations with their counterparts across the border to extend the use of Hong Kong’s commercial laws to cases involving local companies operating in the nine Guangdong cities which form part of the Greater Bay Area, he said.
The Greater Bay Area is a regional initiative to link Hong Kong, Macau and the nine cities into an economic and business hub.
Under the current system, Hong Kong’s commercial laws can only be applied in cases related to local companies operating in Qianhai, a special economic zone in the neighbouring city of Shenzhen.
