Zhang Jun, chief justice and president of the Supreme People’s Court (SPC), met with Victor Dawes, co-chairman of the Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre (HKIAC), and his delegation in Beijing on Sept 15.
Zhang Jun, chief justice and president of the Supreme People’s Court, meets with Victor Dawes, co-chairman of the Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre, and his delegation in Beijing on Sept 15. [Photo/court.gov.cn]
Zhang said that maintaining the long-term prosperity and stability of Hong Kong and Macao is an intrinsic requirement for the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, and that the rule of law serves as an important foundation for Hong Kong’s long-term prosperity and stability.
The outline of China’s 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30) calls for supporting Hong Kong in further developing into an international center for legal and dispute resolution services, improving mechanisms to enable Hong Kong to play a greater role in the country’s opening up, and supporting Hong Kong’s deep participation in high-quality Belt and Road cooperation. It also calls for leveraging Hong Kong’s professional service expertise to assist enterprises in their global expansion.
Zhang said that the SPC has always attached great importance to supporting the development of arbitration in Hong Kong and worked to foster an arbitration-friendly judicial environment, thereby helping Hong Kong leverage its strengths to contribute to the development of the rule of law in the country.
Zhang expressed hope that, under the policy of “one country, two systems”, the HKIAC will turn its competitive strengths in international dispute resolution into a driving force to consolidate and enhance Hong Kong’s position as an international financial, shipping and trade center, and support Hong Kong’s prosperity and development as well as its integration into the country’s overall development.
Dawes thanked Zhang for the meeting, saying that Hong Kong’s unique advantages lie in the strong support from the motherland and its close connections with the world. He said that the HKIAC will remain firmly committed to implementing the “one country, two systems” policy, deepen exchanges and cooperation with relevant authorities and institutions on the mainland, and proactively engage in the SPC’s development of the one-stop mechanism for diversified resolution of international commercial disputes. The HKIAC will also work with the SPC to contribute to the advancement of the rule of law in foreign-related affairs, he added.
Officials from relevant SPC departments and the HKIAC attended the meeting.
