Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu said he hopes the city’s legal professionals to proactively align with the nation’s 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30), which he said will unleash boundless prospects, especially in arbitration and dispute resolution services.
Speaking via video at the opening ceremony of new premises of The Law Society of Hong Kong in Central on Wednesday, Lee said the rule of law and the legal system are the “cornerstone of Hong Kong's success”, and that Hong Kong enjoys “unparalleled connectivity” with both the Chinese mainland and the world under the unique “one country, two systems” framework.
The nation’s 15th Five-Year Plan, Lee said, supports Hong Kong's proactive integration into and service of the overall national development, while also supporting Hong Kong in deepening its development as an international legal and dispute resolution services center.
Lee noted that Hong Kong stands at the heart of global dispute resolution following the opening of the International Organization for Mediation (IOMed) headquarters in Hong Kong last year.
“The IOMed enhances our status as a premier venue for mediation, arbitration, and legal services, and opens new opportunities for our legal professionals to engage with the international community,” he added.
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Lee said the Law Society — the professional association for over 13,000 solicitors in Hong Kong — has been active in assisting mainland enterprises in going global, while providing professional support for international investors coming to Hong Kong.
“I look forward to the legal profession's proactive alignment with the 15th Five-Year Plan, which will bring about boundless opportunities for the industry,” Lee said.
Also at the ceremony, Secretary for Justice Paul Lam Ting-kwok said as Hong Kong is further consolidating its role as a leading center for international legal and dispute resolution services, as supported by the 15th Five-Year Plan, he is looking forward to closer collaboration between the Law Society and the Department of Justice and harnessing Hong Kong’s unique legal system under the “one country, two systems” framework to contribute to the country.
Chief Justice of the Court of Final Appeal Andrew Cheung Kui-nung said that the Law Society's move to larger premises will enable it to stage more activities and conferences, including professional training, member engagement, education, and international exchanges, thereby further cementing Hong Kong's status as an international legal hub.
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After the ceremony, the society’s president Roden Tong Man-lung said the ceremony drew guests from the legal, business, education and government sectors, showing broad public commitment to the rule of law and close collaboration with professional bodies.
Tong added that the Law Society will undertake a four-day duty visit to Beijing from Monday to Thursday, during which two exchange sessions with mainland authorities will be held to explore ways to support national development and deepen legal collaboration.
“Under 'one country, two systems', we have entered a new phase amid rapid technological change, and the legal profession's role in upholding the rule of law, judicial independence and public trust will become even more important,” he said.
