THE Law Society of Hong Kong on Wednesday held the International Summit 2023 in celebration of the 10th Anniversary of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), focusing on high-quality construction of the Belt and Road. John Lee, chief executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), Liu Guangyuan, deputy director of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the HKSAR, Fang Jianming, deputy commissioner of the Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China in the HKSAR, and Paul Lam, secretary for justice of the HKSAR Government attended the summit. Lee said at the summit that the HKSAR Government welcomes and fully supports the white paper titled “The Belt and Road Initiative: A Key Pillar of the Global Community of Shared Future” published by the central authorities. Hong Kong will continue contributing to the efforts of building a global community of shared future under the BRI, he said. Lee said that the national 14th Five-Year Plan supports Hong Kong’s continued development as a center for international legal and dispute-resolution services in the Asia-Pacific region, which will consolidate its status as a global city contributing to the prosperity and development of the Belt and Road. Liu said that for Hong Kong’s legal community to better participate in the high-quality construction of the Belt and Road, it should work to defend the constitutional order of the HKSAR, promote the connectivity of rules and mechanisms in trade, investment, and transportation, among others, along the Belt and Road, better resolve cross-border disputes and further enhance Hong Kong’s status as an international legal service hub. Liu also called on it to leverage the policy benefits for legal practices in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, and strengthen integration with the mainland legal sector. Fang said that the commissioner’s office will fully support the efforts by Hong Kong’s legal community to set up the bridge for the connectivity of the Belt and Road markets, and enhance the connectivity of rules related to the Belt and Road. Lam said that Hong Kong has always been an active participant, contributor and beneficiary of the BRI. He called on Hong Kong’s legal community to provide professional services for the development and implementation of the Belt and Road projects. C. M. Chan, president of the Law Society of Hong Kong, expressed the belief that countries and regions would take the opportunities offered by the BRI to overcome challenges, promote peace, and work together to strengthen ties and safeguard common interests. (Xinhua) | 