Secretary for Justice Paul Lam Ting-kwok has led a delegation to Almaty, marking an important stop on his Central Asia tour as he seeks to foster a win-win collaboration with Kazakhstan's business and legal sectors.
The highlight of the itinerary was the Collaborate2Win seminar co-organized by the Department of Justice and the Hong Kong Trade Development Council, which attracted over 160 local business and legal professionals.
Lam delivered a speech promoting the potential for mutual success with Kazakhstan by leveraging Hong Kong’s status as a top-tier financial center and its common law advantages.
Under the one country two systems principle, Lam explained, Hong Kong operates on a common law system with an independent judiciary exercising the power of final adjudication.
Meanwhile, the city is also well versed in the civil law system and has accumulated extensive experience working with civil law jurisdictions.
Lam noted that this unique ability to bridge both legal systems holds special significance for Kazakhstan, which also operates under civil law.
Prior to the seminar, Lam held a courtesy meeting with the First Deputy Prosecutor General of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Umiraliyev Zhandos Zhanibekovich, accompanied by members of the Investor Rights Protection Committee, which was set up last December.
Through this meeting, Lam expressed hope to explore the establishment of a regular communication mechanism to enhance confidence for enterprises seeking to connect overseas markets through Hong Kong or set up operations in Kazakhstan.
Furthermore, Lam highlighted the growing ties between the two regions during the seminar.
Beyond legal and financial cooperation, more than 600 Kazakh students are currently studying at universities in Hong Kong, while Hong Kong welcomed its first authentic Kazakh restaurant late last year.
Cathay Pacific also recently announced the launch of direct flights to Almaty starting next January, he added.
