Will Teresa Cheng’s expertise in legal arbitration help her handle political issues as justice chief?
Those who worked with barrister on government bodies describe her as ‘moderate’ and ‘fair’
Hong Kong’s new justice minister Teresa Cheng Yeuk-wah won praise as a “fair” and “patient” co-worker when her appointment was announced on Friday, but the veteran arbitrator has yet to convince all that she could thrive in handling the sensitive issues flaring between the city and Beijing.
Taking over the hot seat from her predecessor, Rimsky Yuen Kwok-keung, from Saturday after the country’s State Council approved her appointment, Cheng already has a number of thorny issues on her desk, including local legislation on China’s national anthem law and a joint checkpoint arrangement for a high-speed rail link to Guangzhou.
Teresa Cheng takes reins as Hong Kong justice secretary with ‘prime mission’ to uphold rule of law
As an arbitrator and lawyer, Cheng frequently took part in complex international commercial or investment disputes. She used to chair the Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre, and worked as a deputy judge, and later as a recorder at the Court of First Instance. Cheng has also served on various statutory or advisory bodies.
In 2003 and 2004, for example, Cheng represented the Hong Kong government as it opposed an application by the Society for the Protection of the Harbour to temporarily halt reclamation work in Victoria Harbour, citing legality issues surrounding the projects.
