SJ begins his visit to United Arab Emirates (with photos)

     The Secretary for Justice, Mr Paul Lam, SC, started his visit programme to Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), today (May 21, Abu Dhabi time) with his about 30-strong delegation, comprising representatives from the Law Society of Hong Kong, the Hong Kong Bar Association, the Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited, Invest Hong Kong and related sectors.

     In the morning, the delegation first visited the Louvre Abu Dhabi, the first universal museum in the Arab world. Mr Lam and his delegation then received a market briefing from HSBC, Middle East to gain a better understanding of the UAE financial sector's demand for legal services, and had a networking luncheon with their senior executives to elaborate on Hong Kong's comprehensive professional legal services and its strengths in the rule of law.

     It was followed by a meeting with senior representatives of the Abu Dhabi Global Market to understand the operation of their courts and arbitration centre, and exchanged views on the recent developments in the arbitration landscapes in both places, and the impact of technology on the provision of online dispute resolution services.

     In the afternoon, Mr Lam and his delegation met with the Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce and Industry to have a better understanding of their need for cross-jurisdictional legal services and introduced to them Hong Kong's diversified legal and dispute resolutions services.

     In the evening, Mr Lam will attend a dinner with the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the People's Republic of China to the UAE, Mr Zhang Yiming, to express his gratitude to Mr Zhang and the Embassy for their continuous support.

     Mr Lam will then conclude his visit to Abu Dhabi and depart for Dubai, the UAE. He will attend a forum to promote Hong Kong's legal and dispute resolution services in Dubai tomorrow (May 22, Dubai time).