The central government firmly maintains the “golden signboard” of Hong Kong’s rule of law

The central government firmly maintains the “golden signboard” of Hong Kong’s rule of law

The central government firmly maintains the “golden signboard” of Hong Kong’s rule of law

Photo: Zhang Guojun stated that he will continue to perform his duties fearlessly in the future, firmly safeguard Hong Kong’s rule of law “golden signboard”, and tell the international community about Hong Kong’s rule of law. /Photo by Mak Jun-jie, a reporter from Ta Kung Pao Wenhui All Media

On June 13, Xia Baolong, Director of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council, met with Zhang Guojun, Deputy Secretary for Justice of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government, in Beijing and proposed “three determinations”, “two affirmations” and “three supports”. Zhang Guojun recently accepted an exclusive interview with Ta Kung Pao Wen Wei Po All Media, thanking the central government for its affirmation of Hong Kong’s rule of law, and stated that he would continue to perform his duties fearlessly in the future, firmly safeguard Hong Kong’s rule of law “golden signboard”, and tell the international community about Hong Kong’s rule of law.

\Ta Kung Pao Wenhui Omnimedia reporter Wang Junjie

Zhang Guojun said that Director Xia Baolong put forward the “three resolutes” with great earnestness, including that the central government will resolutely safeguard the dignity of the rule of law and judges in Hong Kong, firmly support the Hong Kong courts in conducting independent trials in accordance with the law, and firmly safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Hong Kong judges and judicial personnel, reflecting that the central government clearly supports Hong Kong judges in defending the rule of law.

Xia Baolong fully affirmed the important role played by the Department of Justice of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government in fully and accurately implementing the “one country, two systems” policy, firmly safeguarding national security, striving to improve the level of rule of law in Hong Kong, and ensuring and promoting Hong Kong’s long-term prosperity and stability. Xia Baolong emphasized that the “golden signboard” of Hong Kong’s rule of law is created and maintained by the joint efforts of the entire Hong Kong judicial and legal community, including judges at all levels. Judges at all levels in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region have always upheld the spirit of fearlessness, impartiality, selflessness and honesty, and have played an important role in maintaining the rule of law in Hong Kong, maintaining fairness and justice, and maintaining national security. They have demonstrated their firm determination and will to defend the fundamental interests of the country and Hong Kong, defend “one country, two systems” and defend the rule of law in Hong Kong, and this should be fully affirmed.

Referring to the “two affirmations”, Cheung Kwok-kwan pointed out that this was the central government’s affirmation and encouragement to the Department of Justice and the judiciary’s personnel. In particular, in the past few years, many cases have attracted local and international attention, some of which have been involved in geopolitical struggles and interfered with by external forces. There have even been politicians in some countries who have intimidated Hong Kong’s judicial and legal personnel with ulterior motives. He thanked all parties for performing their duties impartially and fearlessly, and believed that everyone would continue to do more right things for the long-term interests of Hong Kong.

Commenting on unfinished cases is a big taboo in the rule of law

Regarding the recent comments made by a non-permanent judge of the Court of Final Appeal on a case currently under trial after leaving office, Cheung Kwok-kwan bluntly said, “The person concerned has committed a major taboo in the rule of law. As a senior judge, he should not make arbitrary comments on the ongoing judicial proceedings, nor should he make comments based on his personal political orientation, otherwise it would be unfair.” He mentioned that in the past many foreign judges have affirmed the fair and impartial independent trials of the Hong Kong courts, so the views of some individuals cannot reflect the whole facts.

In the face of the continuous pressure from some countries, Zhang Guojun denounced the use of illegal means such as sanctions by some countries to intimidate judicial and legal personnel, which is absolutely unacceptable. He stressed that the legal system on which Hong Kong’s success depends will not be affected or shaken by the biased remarks of some individuals.

At present, the international situation is complex and changeable, and geopolitical tensions are high. When talking about how to compete for the public opinion front, Cheung Kwok-kwan pointed out that when the Department of Justice encounters biased and incorrect comments in the society, it will immediately make a strong response; on the other hand, he and the Secretary for Justice, Lam Ting-kwok and others visited Europe, Southeast Asia and the Middle East respectively, in order to clearly explain the actual situation in Hong Kong to the international community.

“We will make full use of and strive for more opportunities to tell the story of the country and Hong Kong,” said Zhang Guojun, who shared his participation in the 55th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council. In addition to speaking to representatives of member states about the legislation of Article 23 of the Basic Law, he also made good use of the free time before and after the meeting to meet with important overseas media organizations and representatives of other countries to strengthen communication. He described that through continuous contact and inviting overseas representatives to Hong Kong to participate in legal events, some of the contacts had completely changed their views on Hong Kong and believed that the actual situation was completely different from what the biased Western media said.

Seize opportunities to tell good stories about the country and Hong Kong

In response to Xia Baolong’s proposal of “three supports”, Zhang Guojun pointed out that the Department of Justice team will have to implement more rule of law construction work in the future, such as establishing the Hong Kong International Legal Talent Training Institute, promoting the establishment of the International Mediation Institute headquarters in Hong Kong, and developing legal and dispute resolution services in the Greater Bay Area and even overseas for the legal community.

Zhang Guojun said that the International Mediation Institute’s headquarters will be officially located in Hong Kong next year, proving that the international community recognizes Hong Kong’s status as an international legal and dispute resolution service center in the Asia-Pacific region; and the just-concluded 26th International Commercial Arbitration Council Conference attracted more than 2,000 arbitration experts from more than 100 jurisdictions. Zhang Guojun revealed that in the future, more regional or international conferences and events will be held in Hong Kong, such as the Asia-Pacific Summit of the International Association of Prosecutors to be held in the second half of the year. These examples fully prove that Hong Kong’s legal status in the international community is very solid.

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