Zhang Jun, president of the Supreme People's Court (SPC), met with a delegation from the Department of Justice (DoJ) of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), headed by Secretary of Justice Paul Lam Ting-kwok, in Beijing on May 29.

Zhang Jun, president of the Supreme People's Court (SPC), meets with a delegation from the Department of Justice of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), headed by Secretary of Justice Paul Lam Ting-kwok, in Beijing on May 29, 2023. [Photo/court.gov.cn]

Zhang, also chief justice of the country, extended a warm welcome to the delegation. He noted that the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, which was held last October, highlighted the importance of developing China’s rule of law and set expectations for the judicial cooperation and exchanges between the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong. As a major governmental department of the HKSAR, the DoJ shoulders important responsibilities in comprehensively and accurately implementing the Chinese Constitution, the Basic Law and the National Security Law of the HKSAR, as well as safeguarding Hong Kong’s constitutional order and long-term prosperity and stability, he said, adding that Hong Kong will achieve new breakthroughs and contribute more to the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation under the guidance of the central government.

Zhang Jun, president of the Supreme People's Court (SPC), meets with a delegation from the Department of Justice of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), headed by Secretary of Justice Paul Lam Ting-kwok, in Beijing on May 29, 2023. [Photo/court.gov.cn]

He introduced the practices and experiences of courts on the Chinese mainland in topics of common interest. According to him, judicial exchanges and cooperation between the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong have deepened in recent years, multiple civil and commercial judicial assistance arrangements have been signed in such areas as matrimonial and family matters, arbitration preservation, and cross-border bankruptcy, and the cross-regional judicial assistance system with Chinese characteristics continues to be improved. He pledged that the SPC will further strengthen its communication and cooperation with the Hong Kong DoJ, optimize coordination and improve regulations in such areas as judicial document delivery and the mutual recognition of verdicts on civil and commercial cases, and explore more ways to cooperate under the rule of law to provide strong legal guarantees for the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA), and contribute to the long-term prosperity and stability of Hong Kong.

Lam extended his appreciation for the meeting and said that the Hong Kong DoJ, as a department responsible for Hong Kong’s legal affairs, will strictly implement the legal system and enforcement mechanism for safeguarding national security in the region, actively promote the improvement of the judicial and legal systems of Hong Kong, make due contributions to safeguarding the development interests of the country, and give full play to Hong Kong’s advantages on the Chinese path to modernization. He hoped for the concrete implementation of the exchange and cooperation mechanism between courts on the Chinese mainland and in Hong Kong in order to better protect the interests of the people on both sides.

The two sides exchanged views on strengthening judicial assistance arrangements, deepening connectivity among legal systems within the GBA, and promoting cultivation of the country's talent in the practice of foreign-related legal affairs.