The 13th Mainland, Hong Kong and Macao Legal Seminar, organised by the Department of Justice (DoJ), the China Law Society and the Legal Affairs Bureau of the Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) Government, was held in Hong Kong today (July 21). Themed "Anchoring the new strategic positioning and facilitating the construction of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) with high-quality rule of law", the seminar brought together officials, legal scholars and representatives of the legal and dispute resolution sector from the Mainland, Hong Kong and Macao to share their insights on relevant legal topics relating to the development of the GBA.

     The Mainland, Hong Kong and Macao Legal Seminar has been held since 2009 and serves as an important platform for the legal sectors in the Mainland, Hong Kong and Macao to exchange views on topics of mutual interest, including law-related hot topics and challenges in the three places. It is the first time for the DoJ to co-organise the seminar in Hong Kong with the China Law Society and the Legal Affairs Bureau of the Macao SAR Government. Vice President of the China Law Society Mr Jing Hanchao; the Acting Director of the Legal Affairs Bureau of the Macao SAR Government, Mr Chow Seak-keong; and Deputy Director of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Hong Kong SAR Mr Liu Guangyuan attended the seminar and delivered opening remarks.
 
     Addressing the opening ceremony at the seminar, the Secretary for Justice, Mr Paul Lam, SC, said that since the promulgation and implementation of the Outline Development Plan for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area more than six years ago, the legal departments and legal sectors of the three places have worked hard to continuously deepen co-operation and promote the high-quality development of the GBA. The remarkable progress of co-operation in the legal and dispute resolution fields has laid a solid foundation for closer co-operation in the GBA in the future. As the construction of the GBA continues to advance, it is particularly important to promote legal harmonisation between the three places and strengthen exchanges and co-operation in the legal sector. He expressed hope that everyone will contribute wisdom and strength to the high-quality development of the GBA to open up broader prospects for legal co-operation among the three places.
 
     The seminar focused on four topics, namely "Strengthening legislative co-ordination among Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao, and promoting the interfaces of regulatory frameworks and mechanisms in the GBA"; "Data element market governance and competition order protection in the GBA"; "Legal obstacles and institutional innovation in cross-border co-ordination of protection of intellectual property rights in the GBA"; and "Establishing a diversified mechanism for the resolution of cross-border financial disputes in the GBA". Officials of the three places, representatives of the Hong Kong Bar Association and the Law Society of Hong Kong, as well as legal professionals and experienced practitioners served as moderators and speakers to share experiences and exchange views on promoting the construction of the GBA with high-quality rule of law.
 
     Concluding the seminar, the Deputy Secretary for Justice, Dr Cheung Kwok-kwan, said that the DoJ has been actively taking forward its work in setting up a dedicated platform for GBA lawyers and a GBA legal information platform, supporting the legal sector to deepen professional co-operation with Guangdong and Macao counterparts with a view to better supporting the professional development of GBA lawyers and enhancing the exchange of legal information, contributing to the construction of foreign-related rule of law of the country.

Ends/Monday, July 21, 2025
Issued at HKT 18:17

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