Paul Lam Signs Uzbekistan Legal Cooperation Pact
SingTao · 7 SOURCESabout 16 hours ago2 MIN
Summary
Secretary for Justice Paul Lam Ting-kwok concluded the Uzbekistan leg of his wider Xinjiang and Central Asia mission by meeting Uzbekistan’s justice minister in Tashkent and signing a memorandum of understanding on legal cooperation. The agreement is aimed at strengthening ties between Hong Kong’s Department of Justice and Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Justice, with a focus on exchanges over dispute avoidance and resolution, legal policy, and the use of artificial intelligence in the legal sector. Earlier in Tashkent, Lam proposed forming a cross-sector working group to provide one-stop professional services for companies seeking to enter international markets, while presenting Hong Kong as a gateway for Uzbek, mainland Chinese and other firms expanding abroad. The five-day “Collaborate2Win” campaign, co-organised with the Hong Kong Trade Development Council, followed Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu’s June visit to Central Asia and sought to deepen economic and legal links with the region.
Key Points
- Lam said both sides adjusted schedules to make the Tashkent meeting happen, underlining the importance attached to judicial cooperation by Hong Kong and Uzbekistan
- The memorandum covers exchanges on dispute resolution frameworks and policies, plus experience-sharing on applying artificial intelligence technology in legal practice.
- In Tashkent, Lam and the delegation met the deputy ministers of economy and finance, and of investment, industry and trade.
- Hong Kong officials promoted the city’s strengths in investment protection, cross-border trade, commercial services and dispute resolution under the common law system.
- Lam also met Tashkent State University of Law, the city’s mayor, business groups, arbitration representatives and local law firms during the visit
Why It Matters
For Hong Kong’s legal, accounting, finance and trade sectors, the visit is meant to turn official ties with Central Asia into practical mandates in dispute resolution, market entry and project advisory work. The push to join development around the Tashkent International Financial Centre and to build one-stop cross-professional support could create new openings for Hong Kong firms serving Belt and Road-related business flows.