On May 27, Deng Xiuming, vice-president of the Supreme People's Court (SPC), met with a judiciary delegation from the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) headed by Andrew Cheung, chief justice of the Court of Final Appeal of the HKSAR, in Shanghai.

Deng welcomed the group on their visit to the mainland. He stressed that this year is the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, and a crucial year for the country to achieve the goals and tasks of the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25). The prosperity and stability of Hong Kong are indispensable for the building of a strong country and the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, he said, adding that Hong Kong is one of the regions with the highest level of rule of law in the world, and the judicial institutions of Hong Kong are important guardians of the rule of law in the region, bearing important responsibilities in safeguarding the sovereignty, security, and development interests of the country, as well as in maintaining the prosperity and stability of the HKSAR.

He raised his hope that Hong Kong will give full play to its inherent advantages of the rule of law, continuously strengthen its international competitiveness, and ensure that the practice of "one country, two systems" is not bent or distorted. He also hopes that Hong Kong will continue to strengthen judicial cooperation with the mainland, and join hands in the pursuit of common development.

Cheung thanked Deng for the meeting, and said that the Hong Kong judiciary will shoulder the responsibility of safeguarding the constitutional order of the HKSAR as defined by the Constitution and the Basic Law, handle all cases in a fair and professional manner in accordance with the law, including those endangering national security, and continue to uphold the rule of law. The Hong Kong judiciary attaches great importance to and hopes to continue to deepen judicial exchanges with mainland courts, enhance the judicial assistance system in civil and commercial matters, strengthen mutual learning, and jointly respond to the challenges of the times, he added.

This visit is an important part of the mutual high level visits between judicial organs of the HKSAR and the mainland. From May 27 to 31, the HKSAR delegation will also visit courts in the mainland, including Shanghai High People's Court, Shanghai Intellectual Property Court, the Intermediate People's Court of Ningbo City of Zhejiang Province, and Ningbo Maritime Court, where they will have in-depth exchanges on judicial adjudication and digital development of court work.