SJ concludes visit to Guangzhou and Shenzhen (with photos)
10.6.2023

The Secretary for Justice, Mr Paul Lam, SC, concluded his visit to Guangzhou and Shenzhen today (June 10). Mr Lam and the delegation comprising representatives from the Hong Kong legal sector visited the Nansha Planning Exhibition Hall yesterday morning (June 9) to learn about the history and the latest development of Guangzhou Nansha New Area, as well as the prospects of and measures on the deepening of Guangzhou-Hong Kong-Macao co-operation. Mr Lam and the delegation, accompanied by the Secretary of the CPC Guangzhou Nansha District Committee, Mr Lu Yixian, and Deputy District Mayor of Nansha District of Guangzhou Municipality, Mr Pang Bo, then visited the Nansha International Arbitration Centre. During the meeting, the Party Secretary and Director of the Guangzhou Arbitration Commission, Mr Chen Simin, introduced the latest progress and vision of the Commission. The representative from the Nansha District Bureau of Justice introduced the landscape of legal services in Nansha and their work on the taking forward of the interface of the legal regulatory regimes. Mr Lam said that the Department of Justice will further encourage stakeholders to contribute to the development and opening up of the Guangzhou Nansha New Area, in particular on exchange of talent in foreign-related arbitration and commercial mediation in various subjects including maritime finance, insurance and dispute resolution, so as to contribute to the high-quality development of Nansha and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) and further enhance the protection of the rule of law. In the afternoon yesterday, Mr Lam visited the First International Commercial Court of the Supreme People's Court and met with representatives including Vice Presidents Zhao Jinshan and Liu Zheng to learn about the establishment and operation of the Court's one-stop platform on the organic convergence of litigation, mediation and arbitration for the resolution of diversified international commercial disputes. Mr Lam also visited the Shenzhen Qianhai Cooperation Zone People's Court (Qianhai Court) to learn about the organisation structure of the Qianhai Court. In a roundtable meeting with the President of the Qianhai Court, Mr Bian Fei, and others, Mr Lam discussed the practice of adoption of Hong Kong law by Hong Kong enterprises in the Qianhai Court and the practice on proof of Hong Kong law. The representatives from the Hong Kong legal sector said they hoped to collaborate with the stakeholders in the Mainland to further promote the application of the adoption of Hong Kong law by Hong Kong enterprises. They also hoped to deepen the professional exchanges and mutual learning on the proof of Hong Kong law. Mr Lam agreed that both sides will explore together the further expansion of the pool of legal talent in the proof of laws, including the strengthening of young legal practitioners' understanding on the needs of legal services and the market in the GBA to further enhance the effectiveness of the proof of Hong Kong law, with a view to building up confidence of users in choosing Hong Kong law as applicable law, thereby contributing to the building of a rule-based business environment in the GBA. Mr Lam visited the headquarters of Tencent in Shenzhen this morning to learn about the research and development, and the application of innovative technology by Tencent which contribute to the development of the society and a wide array of industries. Mr Lam also met with the Dean of Tencent Research Institute, Dr Jason Si, and others. During the meeting, representatives from the Research Institute and the delegation discussed about the ways tools of innovative technology including artificial intelligence (AI) tools such as ChatGPT would affect and bring challenges to different sectors and the legal regulatory regime. Mr Lam indicated that the Hong Kong legal sector should seize the opportunities brought by innovative technology and proactively explore ways to further enhance the efficiency and standard of professional services by utilising innovative technology. Mr Lam concluded his visit and returned to Hong Kong today. He said that the visit to Guangzhou and Shenzhen together with representatives from the two legal professional bodies and the Intellectual Property Department is very fruitful. The exchange of views on thematic topics by stakeholders of both places facilitated mutual understanding on the relevant practice. The Department of Justice will continue to spare no effort to take forward the alignment of rules and exchanges of talent, with a view to jointly pursuing mutual and win-win co-operation in the construction of the GBA. Mr Lam expressed his heartfelt thanks to the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council, the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the People's Government of Guangdong Province and all the receiving organisations and the relevant colleagues for their thoughtful arrangements and assistance in the visit. Ends/Saturday, June 10, 2023 Issued at HKT 21:45 NNNN