Chief Executive John Lee today met Supreme People’s Court Vice-president Mao Zhonghua to exchange views on legal work and exchanges between legal personnel of Hong Kong and the Mainland.

Mr Lee welcomed Mr Mao’s visit to Hong Kong with his delegation to attend the ceremonial opening of the legal year 2025.

He expressed his gratitude to the Supreme People’s Court for its active support of the Department of Justice, including establishing an extensive, effective and convenient mutual legal assistance in civil and commercial matters, actively promoting the implementation of the rule of law in the Greater Bay Area (GBA), and supporting Hong Kong to establish itself as a centre for international legal and dispute resolution services in the Asia‑Pacific region.

Mr Lee said the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government will continue to actively promote the measures of “allowing Hong Kong-invested enterprises to adopt Hong Kong law” and “allowing Hong Kong-invested enterprises to choose for arbitration to be seated in Hong Kong”.

He added that this is to help stakeholders understand and make full use of the new measures, encourage more foreign invested enterprises to use Hong Kong as a springboard to tap into the GBA, and contribute to the construction of a market-oriented and internationalised business environment in the bay area.

Mr Lee noted that Hong Kong is a contributor to the resolution of international commercial disputes and is one of the top three most-preferred seats for arbitration worldwide.

The Chief Executive also said he is pleased Hong Kong will achieve greater contributions to the commercial disputes resolution very soon, with the Elaboration of the Convention on the Establishment of the International Organization for Mediation (IOMed) to be signed in Hong Kong this year.

The IOMEd will provide an alternative way to settle international disputes in a friendly, flexible, economical and efficient manner, and Hong Kong will be developed as the capital for international mediation.

Such a development echoes the city’s status as an international arbitration hub, further strengthening its position as a regional centre for resolving commercial disputes, Mr Lee added.