China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) has been building up support for its legal profession to "take full advantage of" opportunities brought by the Belt and Road Initiative, HKSAR Chief Executive Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor said Friday.
Proposed by China in 2013, the Belt and Road Initiative refers to the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, aiming at building a trade and infrastructure network connecting Asia with Europe and Africa along the ancient trade routes of Silk Road.
"To take full advantage of the Belt and Road opportunities, the Hong Kong SAR Government has been building up support for companies and professionals" in Hong Kong's legal services sector, Lam said at the luncheon of a colloquium on international law.
Hong Kong has long enjoyed a very high reputation internationally in the rule of law and in the international legal and dispute resolution services, Lam said.
Hong Kong's achievements are evidenced not only by its various high global rankings in this regard, but also by the fact that "Hong Kong has attracted, and continues to attract, prominent international organizations and international arbitral institutions to set up their offices in Hong Kong," she added.
Building on such achievements, Hong Kong is "actively participating in the Belt and Road initiative," she said, stressing the central government's support for Hong Kong's participation in the Belt and Road Initiative, as well as the SAR's unique advantages due to the "one country, two systems" principle.
"The principle of 'one country, two systems' is the most important policy contributing to our success since the establishment of the Hong Kong SAR 20 years ago," Lam said. "Capitalising on our unique advantages under the principle, we have thrived as a vibrant international metropolitan city."
The chief executive called on Hong Kong's legal profession for greater awareness and appreciation of international law to be better equipped with the knowledge and skills for handling complex legal issues in the context of the Belt and Road Initiative.
