Pilot program helps foster bonds with SARs lawyers

More than 600 legal practitioners from the Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions have worked as attorneys across nine cities in Guangdong province since the launch of a pilot program, according to a report being mulled by Chinese lawmakers.

The report highlights the significance of the pilot program, which was first authorized by the National People's Congress Standing Committee in August 2020, noting that it has helped firmly back the "one country, two systems" policy and leveraged the strengths of legal practitioners from the two special administrative regions.

The initial three-year program allowed legal practitioners from Hong Kong and Macao to practice in the cities of Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Zhuhai, Foshan, Huizhou, Dongguan, Zhongshan, Jiangmen and Zhaoqing. All are in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. In September 2023, the program was extended for another three years, up to Oct 4, 2026.

Since the program began, over 2,000 applicants from Hong Kong and Macao have attended the qualification examinations organized by the Ministry of Justice, according to a report submitted on Tuesday to the ongoing session of the NPC Standing Committee for review.

To date, a total of 646 lawyers from the two special administrative regions — 544 from Hong Kong and 102 from Macao — have obtained the mainland practice qualification for the nine cities.

The report said that during the pilot, a growing number of SARs lawyers have learned about the Chinese mainland's legal knowledge, deepened their understanding of the law-based governance of the country, and enhanced their resolve and confidence to develop alongside the nation.

"They've become more steadfast in their support for the 'one country, two systems' policy, and the program has further strengthened the ranks of patriots who love the country and their respective SARs within the legal sectors of Hong Kong and Macao," it said.

Leveraging their strengths in common law and Portuguese-speaking jurisdictions, these certified lawyers have also actively handled civil, commercial cases and nonlitigation legal matters, it said, adding that their work has contributed to fostering a market-oriented, law-based and internationalized business environment in the GBA.

It shows that 81 of these lawyers have been named as arbitrators in mainland institutions, 71 serve as commercial mediators in mainland organizations, and 26 are invited mediators in courts in Guangdong.

The report emphasizes the important role of these lawyers, noting that the program is considered to be included in the law to attract more legal talent from Hong Kong and Macao to join the construction of the country's rule of law.