Government publishes plan on rule of law in GBA
The government on Friday released a plan to improve cooperation between different legal systems and develop a dispute resolution mechanism in the Greater Bay Area.  The Department of Justice said the "Action Plan for the Construction of the Rule of Law in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area" focuses on linking the region's legal mechanisms, rules and talents. It said a high-level platform will be established with the Supreme People's Court to work on issues related to the region's judicial matters, and to implement legal assistance in civil and commercial matters.  To address regulatory differences, the department will expand measures to allow Hong Kong companies in the region to adopt Hong Kong laws and Hong Kong-based arbitration.  It will also develop uniform rules and an online dispute resolution platform.  The plan states that Hong Kong's bilingual common law system and international environment will be used to build a pool of legal talent with overseas expertise for the region.  The Department of Justice will set up a "Hong Kong International Legal Talents Training Office".  Measures will be taken to encourage the flow of talent within the region, and to integrate Hong Kong's legal sector into the development of the Greater Bay Area.  "The DoJ will take action as a means and adopt a result-oriented approach to pursue in a pragmatic spirit the implementation of the Action Plan during the tenure of the current-term government, with a view to contributing to the construction of rule of law in the GBA with concrete results," Justice Secretary Paul Lam said.