Hong Kong must leverage unique advantages amid global shifts, says Deputy Secretary for Justice
Hong Kong’s Deputy Secretary for Justice outlined the city’s role as a "super connector" amid global changes, emphasising integration with mainland China and international legal ties during a Legislative Council debate on 8 October 2026.
Hong Kong must leverage its unique advantages as a "super connector" and "super value-adder" amid a changing global order, Deputy Secretary for Justice Cheung Kwok-kwan told the Legislative Council on 8 October 2026. Speaking during a merged debate on the city’s first five-year plan and the 2026 Policy Address, Cheung said the world faces challenges to the rules-based international order, with the previous US- and Western-dominated unipolar system undergoing qualitative change.
“Hong Kong cannot stand aloof, nor cling to outdated practices,” Cheung said in Chinese. He noted that while many countries and regions are still seeking a way forward, Hong Kong has found its formula for success by leveraging its advantages of being backed by the mainland and connected to the world. This includes accelerating the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area into a world-class bay area and deepening cooperation with different mainland regions.
Cheung said Chief Executive John Lee has instructed him to set up a task force to accelerate the alignment of rules and mechanisms across the three jurisdictions in the Greater Bay Area. “We respect differences, but on the basis of maintaining each region’s advantages and characteristics, we aim for organic connection of rules,” he said, noting that alignment does not mean making rules identical.
He highlighted Hong Kong’s common law system as a unique advantage under “one country, two systems,” providing high-quality professional services for mainland enterprises going global. The government will continue to facilitate connections between Hong Kong’s professional services and mainland firms expanding overseas. Cheung also said the government aims to complete legislative amendments by the fourth quarter of 2026 for the latest arrangement on mutual service of civil and commercial judicial documents with the mainland.
On international connectivity, Cheung outlined three key links: Hong Kong’s ties with the mainland, with other common law jurisdictions—noting that the Court of Final Appeal can invite overseas judges and its judgments are widely cited—and with non-common law jurisdictions such as the Dubai International Financial Centre and the Astana International Financial Centre, which have adopted common law to connect with global markets.
Cheung also stressed Hong Kong’s role as a platform for high-quality, diversified dispute resolution services, comparing international mediation to tai chi, international commercial courts to the forceful bajiquan style, and international arbitration to the flexible wing chun style. He said the government will strengthen the Hong Kong International Legal Talents Training Institute to deepen international exchanges.
Drawing a parallel to the city’s economic recovery after the 2003 SARS outbreak, when the Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement with the mainland and the individual travel scheme sparked a rebound, Cheung said Hong Kong has again overcome severe challenges. “Some said Hong Kong’s prosperity would never return, like the legendary racehorse Silent Witness. But the facts show Hong Kong has found its formula for success again, just like the new champion Ka Ying Rising continues Silent Witness’s legacy,” he said.