The Secretary for Justice, Mr Paul Lam, SC, leading a delegation comprising representatives from the Law Society of Hong Kong and the Hong Kong Bar Association, as well as local and international law firms, continued his visit to Hangzhou today (March 25).

     Mr Lam and the delegation visited the Zhejiang Merchants Foreign-Related Legal Service Center in the morning to gain an in-depth understanding of the current state of foreign-related legal services in Zhejiang Province, and to explore co-operation opportunities between Hong Kong and Zhejiang in areas such as talent nurturing, international arbitration, and commercial dispute resolution.

     They then attended an exchange session with representatives of the Zhejiang legal community. Mr Lam discussed with the Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee and Deputy Director-General of the Department of Justice of Zhejiang Province, Mr Lao Hong, on the collaboration between the legal sectors of Hong Kong and Zhejiang. During the exchange session, Zhejiang legal professionals introduced the forms and latest trends of Mainland enterprises going global, as well as the relevant common legal and risk management issues, while representatives from Hong Kong's legal sector elaborated on the unique role of Hong Kong's legal profession in assisting Mainland enterprises expanding overseas. Both sides also explored enhancing professional collaboration between the legal, arbitration and mediation sectors of the two places in supporting Mainland enterprises going global, and discussed co-operation on the exchanges and training of foreign-related legal talent.

     Speaking at the exchange session, Mr Lam said that economic and trade co-operation between Hong Kong and Zhejiang has continued to deepen in recent years, with both sides serving as important engines for the country's high-quality development, and possessing tremendous potential for collaboration. As the only common law jurisdiction within China, Hong Kong has a marked advantage in legal services. With more Zhejiang enterprises expanding overseas, Hong Kong's legal sector can provide one-stop professional services to Mainland companies in areas including cross-border investment and financing, international arbitration, and compliance inspections. He expressed the hope of further deepening comprehensive co-operation between the legal communities of Hong Kong and Zhejiang, promoting complementary strengths, jointly raising the professional standards and international credibility of dispute resolution services, and working together to support enterprises as they go global.

     In the afternoon, Mr Lam and his delegation visited the Hangzhou Future Sci-Tech City Urban Exhibition Center to gain insights into Hangzhou's advancements in areas including smart city development and AI. They then met with local business representatives to learn about the latest business developments and promote Hong Kong's status as an international financial centre and the unique advantages of its common law system in assisting Mainland enterprises to expand overseas.

     Mr Lam will depart for Nanjing tonight to continue his visit tomorrow (March 26).

Ends/Wednesday, March 25, 2026
Issued at HKT 19:03

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