Prosecutors meet in HK

September 23, 2025

Voiceover:

The 15th China-ASEAN Prosecutors-General Conference, hosted by the Supreme People's Procuratorate of the People’s Republic of China and organised by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region’s Department of Justice, was held in Hong Kong.
 
Around 80 participants attended the event, including prosecutors general, attorneys general, and representatives from prosecution authorities from China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations or ASEAN member states.

The conference’s theme "Combatting Money Laundering and Corruption, and Recovering Assets in the Technological Age" calls for unity as China and ASEAN member states join hands to rise to such challenges in the digital era.

Chief Grand Prosecutor and Prosecutor General of the Supreme People's Procuratorate of the People's Republic of China Ying Yong said that with the robust development of the China-ASEAN comprehensive strategic partnership, the strategic mutual trust between the two sides has continued to strengthen.

Chief Executive John Lee thanked the central government for organising and supporting Hong Kong in hosting the conference.
 
Chief Executive John Lee:

As many of you would know, China, our country, has hosted the conference three times. And this is the first time Hong Kong has been given the privilege of organising this essential annual gathering.
 
That we can do so is thanks to the unique principle of "one country, two systems", which has been faithfully implemented in Hong Kong since 1997.
 
Under the principle, Hong Kong maintains its common law system, which resembles the legal regime in most global financial hubs, and is the only common law jurisdiction within China, our country.
 
As the only bilingual common law jurisdiction where Chinese and English are both used in legal proceedings, our legal system connects people of varying backgrounds and cultures.  

Voiceover:

Secretary for Justice Paul Lam said in his speech that the Hong Kong SAR, under the "one country, two systems" principle, has close legal co-operation with ASEAN member states. 

Such collaboration includes the signing of bilateral mutual legal assistance agreements, taking forward co-operation based on reciprocity undertakings and implementing key international conventions relating to combatting transnational crime.

The justice chief added that Hong Kong will continue to strengthen its collaboration with ASEAN member states in combatting transnational crime in response to the new developments in the region's economic and social landscape.

The 15th China-ASEAN Prosecutors-General Conference, hosted by the Supreme People's Procuratorate of the People’s Republic of China and organised by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region’s Department of Justice, was held in Hong Kong today.

The conference’s theme "Combatting Money Laundering and Corruption, and Recovering Assets in the Technological Age" calls for unity as China and ASEAN member states join hands to rise to such challenges in the digital era.

Around 80 participants attended the event, including prosecutors general, attorneys general, and representatives from prosecution authorities from China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) member states.

Chief Grand Prosecutor and Prosecutor General of the Supreme People's Procuratorate Ying Yong, Chief Executive John Lee and Secretary for Justice Paul Lam officiated at the opening ceremony.

Mr Ying said at the ceremony that the theme of the conference reflects the shared understanding among participants regarding the harms of money laundering, corruption, and cross-border transfer of illicit funds.

It also embodies the common aspiration of prosecutorial authorities across jurisdictions to strengthen international anti-money laundering and anti-corruption co-operation, and deepen collaboration in recovering criminal assets to safeguard regional security and stability while promoting common development, he added.

The Chief Executive thanked the central government for organising and supporting Hong Kong in hosting the conference.

He said Hong Kong, being the only bilingual common law jurisdiction under the "one country, two systems" principle, has full capability to uphold the rule of law and act as a centre for international legal and dispute resolution in the Asia-Pacific region.

Mr Lee also noted that countries should work together in the technological age to make use of innovative technology to combat the so-called innovators of crime, and build a future where technology serves safety.

Meanwhile, Mr Lam pointed out that Hong Kong, under the "one country, two systems" principle, has close legal co-operation with ASEAN member states, including the signing of bilateral mutual legal assistance agreements, taking forward co-operation based on reciprocity and implementing key international conventions to combat transnational crime.

The justice secretary added that the city will strengthen collaboration with ASEAN member states to combat transnational crime in response to the developments in the region's economic and social landscape.

Addressing the conference’s plenary session, Mr Lam proposed a multipronged approach to combat money laundering and corruption in a technological age.

These include strengthening public education and imposing heavier penalties to deter members of the general public from laundering money for others, strict enforcement of legal duties for financial institutions to detect and report suspicious transactions, using legal means to stop dissipation of funds in money laundering as well as enhancing the prosecution's capability to handle technological crimes.

During the conference, heads of delegations of China and ASEAN member states will sign a joint declaration to reaffirm the commitment to fight against transnational crimes, including money laundering and corruption.