Interview with secretary of justice Teresa Cheng, Justice Place, 18 Lower Albert Road, 07th December 2020. (Calvin Ng / Chinadaily)

HONG KONG - Teresa Cheng Yeuk-wah, secretary for justice of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government, said on Monday that Hong Kong will capitalize on its strength and advantages and make the most of the opportunity brought forth by the country's policies to continue to serve as an international legal hub for deal-making and dispute resolution services.

Cheng said in her blog that the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area has the unique strength of "one country, two systems and three jurisdictions." Hong Kong has already succeeded in securing the Guangdong Province as the first to implement further liberalization measures for partnership associations for law firms in August 2019.

Secretary for Justice Teresa Cheng Yeuk-wah said in her blog that the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area has the unique strength of "one country, two systems and three jurisdictions"

Since June 2020, such measures have been extended to the whole of the mainland, allowing enterprises and investors to appoint law firms and legal practitioners who are practicing in the mainland and also familiar with common law, she said.

Cheng said that the "Regulations of the Qianhai Shenzhen-Hong Kong Modern Service Industry Cooperation Zone of the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone" were amended and approved in August 2020. 

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"Hong Kong has been a prime venue for international legal and dispute resolution services. The fundamentals that make Hong Kong excel as a leading arbitration center can be attributed to our solid foundation with a modern and user-friendly arbitration law," Cheng said, adding that a number of well-respected international institutions have chosen Hong Kong as their first global location outside their home jurisdictions.

"Our strong judicial and legal systems have enhanced Hong Kong's strength as an international legal hub. Judicial independence is premised on the solid infrastructure that has been laid down primarily in the HKSAR Basic Law," she said.

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In the long run, Cheng said, the intrinsic strengths of Hong Kong, together with the advantages afforded to Hong Kong's position under the "one country, two systems", initiatives and opportunities of the Greater Bay Area development will reinforce Hong Kong's irreplaceable position as a leading international legal hub for deal-making and dispute resolution services.