The Secretary for Justice, Mr Paul Lam, SC, continued to lead a delegation from the Hong Kong's legal and dispute resolution sector, comprising more than 60 representatives from the Hong Kong Bar Association, the Law Society of Hong Kong and enterprises as well as other representatives, to attend the second seminar on the legal challenges and coping strategies under the Belt and Road Initiative today (August 25) in Beijing. Organised by the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council (SASAC) and co-organised by the Department of Treaty and Law of the Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) and the Department of Justice (DoJ), the seminar allowed Hong Kong's legal sector to introduce to Mainland enterprises the strength of Hong Kong's common law system, explore how Hong Kong's legal services can support Mainland enterprises to "go global", analyse how Mainland enterprises can make use of Hong Kong's legal professional services to complement the strengths of Hong Kong enterprises, so as to promote the high-quality development of the Belt and Road Initiative and assist the country's high-standard opening up, contributing to the country's market development together.

     In his opening remarks, Mr Lam said that amid the complicated international environment these days, state-owned and private enterprises may inevitably have to face legal challenges and risks when going global. Hong Kong is duty-bound to support state-owned and private enterprises to overcome these legal challenges and risks. Mr Lam said he hoped that the seminar, which the Hong Kong legal sector attached great importance to, would establish good communication channels between Mainland enterprises and the Hong Kong legal profession.

     This is the second seminar on the legal challenges and coping strategies under the Belt and Road Initiative held in collaboration by the three parties since the first one held in Beijing in November 2019. The seminar consisted of three sessions featuring representatives from the SASAC and MOFCOM as well as business leaders and senior legal professionals as speakers. The event received an overwhelming response, with more than 150 participants including representatives from 86 state-owned enterprises and private enterprises.

     The first two sessions of the event introduced to the audience the strength of Hong Kong's common law system and legal opportunities for Mainland enterprises to "go global", as well as the challenges and coping strategies of the legal and compliance risks under the Belt and Road Initiative. During the third session, representatives from enterprises and relevant organisations shared their practical experiences on using Hong Kong legal services to support enterprises in making foreign investments. Question-and-answer sessions were included in all three sessions for deepening the exchanges and mutual learning between Mainland enterprises and the Hong Kong legal profession.

     In the evening, Mr Lam met with students and representatives of relevant Mainland authorities participating in the Summer Attachment Programme for Hong Kong Law Students in the Mainland in Beijing to have a better understanding of their internship experiences. The DoJ has been running the Summer Attachment Programme since 2015. After their local placements, the DoJ's summer interns will be attached to relevant authorities in the Mainland, including the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Justice, the Supreme People's Court, the Supreme People's Procuratorate, the High People's Court of Beijing Municipality, the Beijing Internet Court, the Beijing Intellectual Property Court, the Second Branch of Beijing People's Procuratorate and the China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission. The programme gives an opportunity for Hong Kong students to enhance their knowledge and understanding of the Mainland legal system and to broaden their horizons.

     Mr Lam will conclude his visit and return to Hong Kong tomorrow (August 26).

Ends/Friday, August 25, 2023
Issued at HKT 18:20

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