Read More
Uzbekistan is actively seeking to enlist Hong Kong legal professionals, including retired judges, to assist in developing its emerging financial and judicial infrastructure, according to Secretary for Justice Paul Lam Ting-kwok.
ADVERTISEMENT
SCROLL TO CONTINUE WITH CONTENT
The initiative comes as the Central Asian nation advances major institutional reforms, notably the establishment of the Tashkent International Financial Centre and the Tashkent International Commercial Court.
Lam noted that drawing on Hong Kong’s legal sector to support these operations opens up concrete opportunities for bilateral cooperation across legal and related professional services.
Reciprocal delegations strengthen legal and commercial ties
The prospective collaboration follows a high-level reciprocal visit that built upon preliminary discussions held earlier in the year. Lam led a Hong Kong delegation to Uzbekistan in late August to engage with local institutions on legal and dispute resolution services.
Marking a follow-up visit just over two months later, Nodirjon Juraev, a project coordinator from the Office of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, traveled to the city for a two-day official itinerary during Hong Kong Legal Week.
During the opening day’s seminar, Juraev addressed the role of the UNIDROIT Asia-Pacific liaison office in fostering regional legal harmonization and collaboration.
Throughout his stay, Juraev held working sessions with the Department of Justice as well as more than a dozen senior practitioners representing the Hong Kong Bar Association, the Law Society of Hong Kong, and the wider local legal fraternity.
Lam observed that these mutual exchanges have enabled Hong Kong practitioners to gain firsthand insight into Uzbekistan’s development needs, while simultaneously showcasing the city’s specialized capabilities in Central Asian cross-border transactions, investment ventures, and cross-border dispute resolution.
Academic and technical exchanges are also scheduled to continue throughout the week, with Bakhshillo Khodjaev, rector of Tashkent State University of Law, set to speak at the legal technology forum on artificial intelligence, ethical frameworks, and professional responsibilities in the law.
Leveraging common law strengths to expand Central Asian opportunities
Lam underscored that Hong Kong’s established common law framework, paired with extensive expertise in international commercial litigation, arbitration, and financial regulation, positions the city to provide robust technical support for Uzbekistan’s institutional reforms.
The recent flurry of bilateral engagements reflects a shared commitment to deepening ties between the two jurisdictions.
Lam expressed hope that legal bodies on both sides will maintain regular dialogue and experience-sharing to foster capacity building, capitalizing on current momentum to implement substantive initiatives that expand international horizons for Hong Kong professionals.
