Last month, the government submitted the Mainland Judgments in Matrimonial and Family Cases (Reciprocal Recognition and Enforcement) Bill to the Legislative Council. This indicates the process of implementing the “arrangement on reciprocal recognition and enforcement of civil judgments in matrimonial and family cases” by the mainland and Hong Kong governments, as signed in 2017, has finally begun. This is expected to help parties in family cases involving marriages or assets in the two jurisdictions to resolve their issues through clearer and simpler procedures. To implement arrangements for mutual recognition and enforcement of judgments, it is crucial for the legal departments of the two jurisdictions to reach agreements and implement them via local legislation. The only arrangement Hong Kong has implemented for civil and commercial judgments with the mainland is the “arrangement on reciprocal recognition and enforcement of judgments in civil and commercial matters”, which was signed in 2006, and has significant restrictions. The arrangement requires that both parties have a written agreement regarding the jurisdictions in advance, but it is only applicable to monetary judgments and it must be a “final and conclusive judgment”. It is therefore foreseeable that only a few cases can meet such requirements and where all parties resort to the arrangement. In January 2019, the two jurisdictions entered into the “arrangement on reciprocal recognition and enforcement of judgments in civil and commercial matters”, which is expected to replace the 2006 arrangement. The procedures and scope of the new arrangement are more relaxed than those of the 2006 version. The date when the new arrangement comes into effect has yet to be announced. While criminal cases are more likely to attract public attention, judgments in civil cases are equally important to society. Whether justice can be achieved is also affected by whether a person whose legal rights have been violated can claim damages and other judicial remedies through simple procedures without undue delay. With increasingly frequent exchanges between the mainland and Hong Kong, the mutual recognition and enforcement of judgments between the two places have become increasingly important. Six ways for Hong Kong to advance its proven legal skills along the ‘Belt and Road’ The social turmoil in 2019 undoubtedly slowed down the progress of cross-border judicial cooperation. While the legislative work is back on track, the government should speed up the implementation of the relevant arrangements for mutual recognition of judgments to help strengthen the city’s status as a regional dispute resolution centre and to position itself under China’s latest five-year plan. John Wan, Yau Ma Tei