Hong Kong Legal Week 2023 concluded with over 11,000 participants attending various events in person and online, the Department of Justice said today.

Prominent legal and dispute resolution experts and academics from around the world gathered to conduct in-depth discussions on a wide range of topics during the five-day event, including international legal co-operation, mediation, arbitration, and opportunities in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and the Belt & Road Initiative.

Legal Week also attracted participants from the maritime, aviation, arts, intellectual property and finance sectors as well as educators, teachers, students and youth representatives from more than 50 jurisdictions.

As the event's finale, “Rule of Law for the Future” was chosen as the topic of today’s events. Chief Executive John Lee, Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Deputy Director Liu Guangyuan and Secretary for Justice Paul Lam gave their remarks at the opening session, while Chief Judge of the High Court Jeremy Poon delivered a keynote speech.

It was followed by two panel discussions under the main theme of "Rule of Law: A Core Pillar of Support for the '8 Centres' under the National 14th Five-Year Plan", where legal professionals and academics discussed the essential role of Hong Kong's legal and dispute resolution services in supporting the development of the maritime and aviation industry in the city.

They also explained the interplay between art and law in areas such as intellectual property protection and trading, and copyright issues in developing Hong Kong into an East-meets-West centre for international cultural exchange.

In the afternoon, students engaged in an open exchange with a Legislative Council member, a school principal and a teacher on the rule of law topics.

For the first time, the event included a special session, "National Security Chatroom: You ask, I answer", for the Secretary for Justice to answer questions and clarify misunderstandings about the Hong Kong National Security Law through daily examples and down-to-earth explanations.

The department said it will continue to organise relevant events to reinforce public awareness of the rule of law, adding that it has been actively preparing for the launch of the first phase of the Rule of Law Education Train-the-Leaders Programme.

It will also proactively engage with places in the region and beyond to promote Hong Kong's competitiveness as a centre for international legal and dispute resolution services in the Asia‑Pacific region under the National 14th Five‑Year Plan.