​The Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Development Office (GBA Office) of the Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Bureau and the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) co-organised the "GoGBA Sector Series: GoGBA Seminar for Legal Sector" today (July 23) to explore how Hong Kong's legal services talents and enterprises can contribute to and benefit from the high-quality development of the Greater Bay Area (GBA), and make good use of the facilitation policies and measures provided by different cities of the GBA to develop their businesses in the region.
In her opening address at the event, the Commissioner for the Development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, Ms Maisie Chan, stated that the resolution adopted at the Third Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China emphasised enabling the GBA to better play its role as engine of high-quality development, supporting Hong Kong and Macao in building themselves into international hubs for high-caliber talents, as well as improving relevant mechanisms for Hong Kong and Macao to play a greater role in the opening up of the country. At present, the GBA has entered a new phase of accelerated development with greater breadth and depth. The development of the GBA is set to bring more room for the development of Hong Kong professional services. The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government will adopt a more in-depth approach and focus on exploring how talents and enterprises of different industries, including the legal profession, can capitalise on the significant opportunities brought about by the GBA, and at the same time help promote the high-quality development of the GBA.
Ms Chan added that under "one country, two systems", Hong Kong is the only common law jurisdiction within the country and a leading centre for international legal and dispute resolution services in the Asia-Pacific region, and has been well-trusted by international business communities and investors. In April this year, the Department of Justice (DoJ) released for the first time the "Action Plan on the Construction of Rule of Law in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area", which sets forth the guiding principle of "Three Interfaces, Two Connects and One GBA", promoting the interfaces of mechanisms, regulatory frameworks and talents, thereby enabling the GBA to capitalise on its unique strengths under "one country, two systems and three jurisdictions". Hong Kong's legal profession can play a crucial role in the high-quality development of the GBA.
At today's seminar, leaders from the Justice Bureau, Nansha District of Guangzhou, and the Qianhai Authority of Shenzhen were invited as guests to introduce the facilitation policies and measures for the legal services industry in Nansha and Qianhai respectively. During the panel discussion, a number of legal professionals from Hong Kong and Guangzhou shared their views on the unique advantages enjoyed by Hong Kong's legal professionals in GBA development, the demand for Hong Kong's legal services by Mainland enterprises, as well as the strategies for developing business in the GBA.
The "GoGBA Sector Series" is a joint initiative of the GBA Office and HKTDC, which aims to provide more specific, in-depth and targeted information and support to the industry. In addition to keynote speeches and panel discussions, small group advisory workshops and one-on-one consultation services were also arranged at the seminar, where experts answered questions and offered advice on the development of the Hong Kong's legal profession in the Mainland cities of the GBA. Furthermore, the DoJ and HKTDC will jointly organise a trade mission to visit Shenzhen and Foshan from August 6 to 8, to learn about the latest development of the legal profession in the GBA, and to promote further exchanges as well as mutual co-operation.
For more information about the GBA, please visit the dedicated website (www.bayarea.gov.hk/en), which also covers the content of the Greater Bay Area Information Station (www.bayarea.gov.hk/gbais/en) for easy browsing by members of the public.
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