7th Hong Kong Legal Services Forum held in Xi’an

The 7th Hong Kong Legal Services Forum was held in Xi'an, Northwest China's Shaanxi province, on May 27. Minister of Justice He Rong, Secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Shaanxi Provincial Committee Zhao Yide, and Paul Lam Ting-kwok, secretary for justice of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), attended and addressed the opening ceremony of the forum.

Fang Hongwei, a member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Shaanxi Provincial Committee and secretary of the CPC Xi'an Municipal Committee, gave a presentation on the development of the Belt and Road Demonstration Zone for International Commercial Legal Services of Xi'an.

Wang Zhenjiang, vice-president of the China Law Society, and leading officials of Shaanxi attended the ceremony, which was presided over by Vice-Governor of Shaanxi Dai Binbin.

In her address, He Rong said the forum serves as a concrete practice in thoroughly implementing Xi Jinping Thought on the Rule of Law and supporting high-quality Belt and Road cooperation.

She highlighted Shaanxi's role as an important node for Belt and Road cooperation and a frontier for China's westward opening-up and Hong Kong's distinct advantages in legal services, and called on the legal service sectors of both regions to seize opportunities for development, and strengthen communication and collaboration.

By leveraging complementary advantages, both regions can achieve win-win development, better integrate into the country's "going global" strategy, and provide strong legal support for promoting high-quality development and high-level opening-up, she added.

Zhao said that in recent years, Shaanxi has thoroughly studied and implemented Xi Jinping Thought on the Rule of Law and the important speeches and instructions by Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, during his visits to the province.

He emphasized that Shaanxi has stepped up efforts in promoting the rule of law, and made coordinated progress in foreign-related legislation, law enforcement, administration of justice, public legal compliance, legal services, and the cultivation of legal talents, effectively safeguarding the province's high-quality development and high-level opening-up.

Zhao also expressed hope that the forum would serve as a platform to further deepen exchanges and cooperation between Shaanxi and Hong Kong in the legal field, in a bid to make greater contribution to promoting Belt and Road cooperation

In his remarks, Lam highlighted Hong Kong's well-established common law system, cross-border dispute resolution mechanisms, and high-end legal service resources.

He noted Hong Kong's role as a center for international legal and dispute resolution services in the Asia-Pacific region, and expressed a willingness to work with Shaanxi to explore opportunities and areas for cooperation, and enhance the capacity of foreign-related legal services.

During the forum, participants shared insights on various topics including legal risk assessment and management for Chinese enterprises investing in the Belt and Road countries and regions, legal risk prevention for Chinese enterprises' overseas expansion, and cross-border commercial legal and dispute resolution services.

In addition, the forum featured thematic activities such as the signing of cooperation agreements, mock mediations, simulated arbitration courts, and "one-on-one" consultations between enterprises and legal service institutions.

The forum was attended by leading officials from relevant departments of the Ministry of Justice, the Hong Kong and Macao Work Office of the CPC Central Committee, and the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the HKSAR, representatives from the Hong Kong legal community, relevant international legal organizations, social organizations, higher education institutions, research institutes, foreign-related enterprises, and legal service institutions, as well as leading officials from relevant provincial departments of Shaanxi.