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HK bar welcomes plan to align judicial system with China's

Hong Kong's legal profession has welcomed a government plan to bring its judicial system in line with China, saying yesterday that the move was long overdue.

Rimsky Yuen (袁國強), vice chairman of the Hong Kong Bar Association, said the proposal to allow commercial case judgments made in Hong Kong and China to be enforced on either side had been urged by lawyers and businesses.

"It's something that's been in discussion for many years," Yuen said. "It gives more flexibility and reduces the distrust between each side."

Yuen added that the "it will mean that companies will be able to include an option in any contract that, in the event of a dispute, would enable judgments made in either jurisdiction to be enforced across the border."

The pact had been suggested following a number of high-profile dispute settlements between Hong Kong and Chinese firms that were never compensated because the aggrieved parties were unable to enforce the judgments.

Authorities said the scope of the pact could be widened to bring greater parity between the two legal systems.
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