The Deputy Secretary for Justice, Mr Cheung Kwok-kwan, and the Director General of the Research Office of the Supreme People's Court, Mr Zhou Jiahai, today (June 13) in Beijing signed a memorandum of understanding on establishing a standing interface platform on judicial and legal co-operation in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA), which serves as a regular and institutionalised high-level official communication mechanism for deepening exchanges and co-operation and taking forward the work on the interfaces of mechanisms, regulatory frameworks and talent. Before the signing of the memorandum of understanding, the Executive Vice-president of the Supreme People's Court, Mr Deng Xiuming, met with Mr Cheung and his delegation.

     The establishment of the interface platform is one of the policy initiatives in "The Chief Executive's 2023 Policy Address", and also an important measure in the Department of Justice's Action Plan on the Construction of Rule of Law in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area for strengthening the interface of the communication mechanism between the Mainland and Hong Kong.

     The two sides reached an agreement on various fronts to enhance the advantages of the GBA development, including the establishment of a standing interface mechanism to deepen the judicial and legal interface of regulatory frameworks in the GBA, thereby enhancing the cross-boundary multifaceted dispute resolution mechanism; strengthening exchanges and co-operation in the training of foreign-related legal talent; and conducting regular exchanges and visits of relevant officers.

     Under the framework of the interface platform, high-level joint meetings between the two sides will be convened at least once a year to set the work priorities for the next stage, jointly prepare the work plans and programmes and notify each other on a regular basis.

     Mr Cheung said the standing interface platform would enable the two sides to advance closer and smoother practical and research work on judicial and legal matters relating to the GBA, and better utilise the unique advantages of "one country, two systems and three jurisdictions" of the GBA, so as to consolidate Hong Kong's status as a centre for international legal and dispute resolution services in the Asia-Pacific region, serving the high-quality development of the country and the construction of the rule of law in the GBA.

Ends/Thursday, June 13, 2024
Issued at HKT 18:43

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