The Deputy Secretary for Justice, Dr Cheung Kwok-kwan, chaired the first meeting of the new term of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) Task Force today (April 1). He emphasised that "innovation" is particularly important in promoting the interfaces of mechanisms, regulatory frameworks and talent training among Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao. He noted that it will further facilitate Hong Kong's integration into the overall development of the country and enhance the innovation capabilities and radiating effect of the GBA.
During the meeting, the Task Force had an in-depth discussion on the latest development of the various policy measures set out in the Department of Justice (DoJ)'s Action Plan on the Construction of Rule of Law in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, and future key initiatives, including the establishment of a panel of GBA arbitrators to further facilitate arbitrators from the three places in providing legal and dispute resolution services in the GBA, as well as the setup of a GBA legal information platform to provide enterprises and people with practical legal information on cross-boundary businesses and living.
Meanwhile, Dr Cheung welcomed the new members, namely Mr Neville Cheng, Mr Michael Lok, Mr Tse Shing-yick, Mr Joaquim Vong and Mr Zeng Xuezhi, to the Task Force. Dr Cheung said that the DoJ has long been upholding principles and at the same time, embracing innovation in its co-operation with various stakeholders to draw collective wisdom and actively implement the Action Plan, with a view to leveraging the unique strengths under "one country, two systems and three jurisdictions" of the GBA.
Dr Cheung pointed out that the inclusion of lawyers from the Mainland and Macao for the first time facilitates the DoJ to learn about issues from the perspectives of different jurisdictions, and signifies a strong collaboration among the legal sectors of the three regions to jointly harness the unique edges of "three jurisdictions".
He also noted that Mr Tse, an online key opinion leader (KOL) who has been residing in the Mainland, holds a considerable understanding of the circumstances of Hong Kong people working and residing in the GBA. Mr Tse's joining will not only help the DoJ better grasp public opinions on various policy measures in relation to the GBA, but will also assist the DoJ in effectively communicating with the community.
Dr Cheung said that he firmly believes that the new-term Task Force will continue to work closely together to deepen the legal co-operation in the GBA with diverse and innovative thinking, contributing wisdom and strengths to the GBA's high-quality development.
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