Independent judiciary key to Hong Kong upholding status as finance, dispute resolution hubs, Bar Association tells Beijing officials
- Bar Association delegation visiting Beijing for first time in five years meets officials from legal department of the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office
- Association chairman Victor Dawes says that during the meeting delegation underscored importance of a mature and independent judicial system to Hong Kong
The Bar Association has highlighted the importance of an independent judiciary in upholding Hong Kong’s role as a financial and dispute resolution hub during a meeting in Beijing with mainland Chinese officials overseeing the city’s affairs.
Association chairman Victor Dawes also told the media on Thursday that keeping up communications with mainland authorities was important in ensuring their understanding of the city’s common law system, while maintaining Hongkongers’ confidence in it.
An 18-member Bar Association delegation, led by Dawes, met officials from the legal department of the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office (HKMAO) on Thursday morning on the third part of their five-day ice-breaking trip to the capital.
Dawes said that during the meeting the delegation underscored the importance of a mature and independent judicial system to Hong Kong.
“A mature and independently operating judicial system has been truly invaluable for Hong Kong to successfully maintain itself as an international financial centre and dispute resolution centre,” Dawes told a press briefing.
“We made this point clearly to the legal department.”
The delegation also stressed that having an independent Bar was important both to Hong Kong and the nation because the city, as China’s only common law jurisdiction, played an indispensable role in the nation’s outreach efforts to overseas countries.