The Secretary for Justice, Mr Paul Lam, SC, continued to lead a cross-professional delegation comprising members of Hong Kong's legal and dispute resolution sectors, as well as the financial and accounting sectors, to visit Almaty, Kazakhstan, today (August 26, Almaty time). They attended the Collaborate2Win seminar and a networking lunch to promote the unique strengths of Hong Kong's common law system to the local industry.

     At the seminar, Mr Lam highlighted in his opening remarks that while Hong Kong is a leading common law jurisdiction providing reliable and top-quality international legal services, the city has been making tremendous efforts to use its common law advantages to maintain and promote Hong Kong's status as an international financial centre. He said that Hong Kong can be Kazakhstan's important and even indispensable partner in view of the city's unique status as a premier financial hub with common law advantages.
 
     The seminar is co-organised by the Department of Justice (DoJ) and the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), attracting more than 160 representatives from local legal and business sectors to attend. The First Deputy Prosecutor General of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Mr Umiraliyev Zhandos Zhanibekovich; the Consul General of the People's Republic of China in Almaty, Mr Su Fangqiu; and Associate Executive Director of the HKTDC Ms Anna Cheung delivered speeches at the seminar.
 
     Entitled "Hong Kong - A Premier Financial Hub with Common Law Advantages - Your Indispensable Partner for Global Success", the panel discussion was moderated by the Head of Business and Professional Services of Invest Hong Kong, Mr Herman Tse. The Commissioner for Belt and Road, Mr Nicholas Ho, introduced Hong Kong's status as the global gateway under the Belt and Road Initiative. The Executive Director of the Financial Services Development Council, Dr Rocky Tung, then presented the latest developments of Hong Kong as a leading international financial centre. Representatives from Hong Kong legal, arbitration and accounting sectors also illustrated the distinctive role of Hong Kong's common law system in corporate finance and investment protection, its business-friendly tax system, and the latest developments of the arbitration regime during the panel discussion.
 
     Upon arriving in Almaty yesterday (August 25, Almaty time), Mr Lam and the delegation met with the representative of a local Chinese Mainland law firm to have a better understanding of the latest developments of the local legal service sector. Mr Lam also introduced the DoJ's initiatives to promote Hong Kong's legal services and to co-ordinate with financial, accounting and other professional services in supporting Chinese Mainland enterprises expanding overseas, and discussed with representatives the common legal issues that enterprises encounter while going global. They then met with representatives from the chamber of commerce of Shaanxi in Kazakhstan to learn more about the latest developments of Chinese Mainland enterprises in Kazakhstan, and to promote Hong Kong's professional services to enterprises from the Chinese Mainland and Kazakhstan, to leverage Hong Kong as a major gateway for venturing into international markets.
 
     Mr Lam and the delegation will depart for Uzbekistan this afternoon to continue their visit.

Ends/Wednesday, August 26, 2026
Issued at HKT 18:42

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