Hong Kong, Hainan Sign Legal Cooperation Pact at Free Trade Port Law Week
Hong Kong's Secretary for Justice addressed the 2026 Hainan Free Trade Port Law Week, announcing a new legal cooperation arrangement with Hainan. The agreement aims to deepen collaboration in legal services, support Chinese firms going global, and bolster dispute resolution amid Hainan's free trade
Hong Kong's Secretary for Justice delivered a keynote speech at the 2026 Hainan Free Trade Port Law Week, highlighting deepening legal cooperation between the two regions. The secretary announced that a cooperation arrangement on legal services would be signed later in the day with Hainan's Department of Justice, building on a memorandum of understanding signed in March last year.
The speech came as both regions enter new phases of development. Hainan launched full island-wide customs closure operations in December, which the secretary said had already shown positive results in zero-tariff imports and new business registrations, including foreign enterprises. Hong Kong published its first five-year development plan in September, aligning with the national 15th Five-Year Plan and emphasising enhanced collaboration with other parts of the country.
During the 15th Five-Year Plan period, Hainan will strengthen foreign-related legal construction, establish an international commercial arbitration centre, and improve its one-stop platform for foreign law services and international commercial dispute resolution. Hong Kong will deepen its role as an international legal and dispute resolution services hub, leveraging its professional advantages to help mainland enterprises expand overseas.
The secretary noted that Hong Kong's International Legal Talent Training Academy, established in November 2024, has been running capacity-building programmes for mainland legal professionals and corporate representatives. This week, with support from the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission, the academy held its second training class on legal practice for Chinese enterprises going global, attended by 34 chief legal officers and senior legal executives from leading national companies.
Hong Kong's legal services sector remains highly internationalised, with more than 12,000 solicitors, over 1,800 barristers, more than 1,700 registered foreign lawyers from 30 jurisdictions, and nearly 100 registered foreign law firms from 19 jurisdictions. In December, the Department of Justice launched an online platform to help mainland enterprises connect with Hong Kong professional services, along with a directory of supporting legal service providers and two volumes of successful case studies.
The secretary also highlighted Hainan's role in developing commercial spaceflight, noting that the Hainan Commercial Space Launch Site has completed 23 launch missions. He expressed confidence that Hong Kong's international legal services, mature arbitration system, and the International Organization for Mediation, now based in Hong Kong, could support space enterprises in handling international commercial disputes. He encouraged aerospace companies to consider Hong Kong law and dispute resolution services.
