Guangdong steps up efforts to advance integrated development of legal services in GBA

The justice department of South China's Guangdong province has taken a series of initiatives to support the high-quality development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) and effectively promote the alignment of rules and mechanisms within the GBA.

These efforts have further improved connectivity mechanisms in the legal field and accelerated the integrated development of legal services within the GBA.

The 24th Plenary of the Hong Kong/Guangdong Cooperation Joint Conference was recently held in Guangzhou, the capital of Guangdong, focusing on promoting high-quality Guangdong-Hong Kong cooperation and ensuring the GBA's role as a strategic fulcrum of the new development pattern, a demonstration zone of high-quality development, and a pioneer of Chinese modernization.

At the conference, the governments of Guangdong and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region signed multiple cooperation agreements, including the Arrangement on Exchanges and Cooperation between the Department of Justice of Guangdong Province and the Department of Justice of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.

The document outlines the joint efforts of the two sides to promote the implementation of accreditation standards and the best practice code of conduct for GBA mediators, and model rules on cross-boundary dispute mediation within the GBA, the connectivity of mechanisms and rules for commercial arbitration in the GBA, the coordinated development of legal professions between Guangdong and Hong Kong, as well as exchanges and mutual learning in the cultivation of foreign-related legal talents.

The signing of the agreement represents progress in accelerating connectivity in legal services within the GBA. Previously, as an innovative practice in aligning rules and mechanisms in the legal field, the pilot program allowing Hong Kong and Macao lawyers to practice in the mainland cities of the GBA yielded positive results. The GBA Legal Professional Examinations have now been held for four years running.

Since the commencement of pilot program for the GBA Legal Professional Examination, over 470 lawyers from Hong Kong and Macao have passed the exam and been authorized to practice in the nine mainland cities within the GBA.

They have provided on-site legal services at major economic and trade events such as the China Import and Export Fair and the GBA Fair for Trade in Services, according to the Justice Department of Guangdong.

Moving forward, the Justice Department of Guangdong will intensify efforts to promote the alignment of rules and mechanisms in the legal field in Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao by implementing the guiding principles of the third plenary session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), and following the work arrangements of the Ministry of Justice and the CPC Guangdong Provincial Committee and the provincial government.