Hong Kong Legal Forum Promotes International Legal Services in Xi'an, Strengthening Belt and Road Cooperation

2025-05-27 16:30 Last Updated At：16:48

SJ attends seventh Hong Kong Legal Services Forum in Xi'an

The Secretary for Justice, Mr Paul Lam, SC, today (May 27) led a delegation of Hong Kong's legal and dispute resolution sector, comprising more than 120 representatives from the Hong Kong Bar Association, the Law Society of Hong Kong and other related sectors, to attend the seventh Hong Kong Legal Services Forum in Xi'an, a key node city in the Belt and Road Initiative. The Forum, jointly organised by the Department of Justice (DoJ), the Department of Justice of Shaanxi Province and the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of Shaanxi Provincial People's Government, together with the Hong Kong Trade Development Council and the X'ian Municipal People's Government as co-organisers, aims to promote Hong Kong's international legal and dispute resolution services to the legal sector and enterprises in Shaanxi and the neighbouring regions.

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SJ attends seventh Hong Kong Legal Services Forum in Xi'an Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

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SJ attends seventh Hong Kong Legal Services Forum in Xi'an Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

With the theme of "Serving the Belt and Road Initiative: A New Chapter in Shaanxi-Hong Kong Cooperation", the Forum this year explored issues of interest to Shaanxi enterprises as they "go global" in handling trade, commerce and foreign investment under the Belt and Road Initiative. The Forum also introduced the international legal and dispute resolution services which Hong Kong can offer as a "super connector" for cross-border transactions and as a centre for dispute resolution services. The Minister of Justice, Ms He Rong, the Secretary of the CPC Shaanxi Provincial Committee, Mr Zhao Yide, and others attended the Forum and delivered opening addresses.

In his opening address, Mr Lam said that Shaanxi and Hong Kong have maintained close exchanges and co-operation over the years. Last year, the governments of the two places signed the Strengthening Hong Kong/Shaanxi Co-operation Agreement, which covers legal and dispute resolution services. The Department of Justice of Shaanxi Province and the DoJ also signed the Framework Arrangement on Co-operation in Legal Services to Support the "Belt and Road Initiative" to strengthen the exchanges and co-operation in legal services and talent-nurturing between the two places to better facilitate legal services bodies in both places to provide quality and efficient legal services for the high-quality Belt and Road development and for national enterprises and citizens to "go global". The Forum represented a significant concrete action in implementing the above Agreement. Mr Lam said that he looked forward to strengthening exchanges and co-operation with Shaanxi to serve the country's needs.

At the two plenary sessions in the morning and the mock mediation and mock arbitration in the afternoon, around 30 Hong Kong legal and dispute resolution professionals with extensive experience in handling international and cross-border legal matters shared their insights and examined from different perspectives the legal issues faced by businesses. The Forum attracted the participation of more than 800 local lawyers and legal sector representatives.

The Hong Kong Legal Services Forum has been held by the DoJ on a biennial basis in Mainland cities since 2010. The Forum has been held in Shanghai, Guangzhou, Qingdao, Nanjing and Chengdu to promote Hong Kong's international legal and dispute resolution services to enterprises and other service users on the Mainland.

Mr Lam attended the graduation ceremony of the Hong Kong Common Law and Dispute Resolution Practical Training Course organised by the Hong Kong International Legal Talents Training Academy with the assistance of the Shaanxi Province Lawyers Association. The programme is the first foreign-related legal talent training programme held by the Academy in a Mainland city. Through seminars, mock arbitration clause negotiations, moot court debates and arbitration trial workshops, a total of about 140 foreign-related lawyers, mainly from the Shaanxi Province and surrounding provinces, cities, autonomous regions and municipalities, gained a comprehensive understanding of Hong Kong's common law system, the city's characteristics and experience in dispute resolution, thereby contributing to the country's nurturing of foreign-related legal talents.

In addition, Mr Lam and the delegation visited the Belt and Road Demonstration Zone for International Commercial Legal Services in Xi'an, and toured the Xi'an Arbitration Commission, Xi'an China-Europe Railway Express Assembly Center and the "three centres" of the Ministry of Justice of the People's Republic of China to learn about Shaanxi's efforts in fostering an international first-class business environment and the local demand for foreign-related legal services in the Belt and Road context. They also discussed how Hong Kong's international legal and dispute resolution services can provide relevant professional support.

Mr Lam will conclude his visit to Xi'an this afternoon and return to Hong Kong.

Applications Open for Enrolled Nurse Training Programme in Welfare Sector Starting 2026-27

Enrolled Nurse (General) Training Programme for Welfare Sector 2026-27 invites applications

The Social Welfare Department (SWD) announced that the full-time Enrolled Nurse (General) Training Programme for the Welfare Sector 2026-27 is inviting applications starting today (January 12). The programme, which will last for two years, with a total of 427 places, aims to train students to become enrolled nurses to alleviate the shortage of nurses in the welfare sector and enhance the quality of care services.

In response to the keen demand for nurses in the welfare sector, the SWD has commissioned the Hong Kong Metropolitan University, Saint Francis University and the Tung Wah College to provide the Enrolled Nurse (General) Training Programme for the Welfare Sector for five consecutive years starting from the 2023-24 academic year.

An SWD spokesman said, "Applicants for the programme must be permanent Hong Kong residents with right of abode in Hong Kong and have attained the age of 18 by the time the training programme commences. They must also have attained Level2 or above in five subjects, including Chinese Language, English Language, Mathematics and any two other subjects in Categories A (Note) and B, in the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education Examination; or an equivalent qualification. Applicants are also required to take note of other entry requirements as specified by respective training institutes."

The spokesman added, "To encourage young people and frontline staff currently serving the welfare sector to upgrade their professional skills, priority will be accorded to applicants who have successfully completed the two-year Diploma Programme and obtained the diploma under the Navigation Scheme for Young Persons in Care Services launched in 2015 (or under the First-hire-then-train Pilot Scheme from 2013 to 2016) by the SWD; or those who are currently working full-time in non-governmental organisations (NGOs) or private organisations providing elderly, rehabilitation, family and child care, youth or correctional services. Individuals who aspire to pursue a career as enrolled nurses in the welfare sector are also welcome."

Tuition fees will be reimbursed to trainees in full on the condition that they have successfully completed the training programme and qualified to register as enrolled nurses within two years. Trainees will be required to sign an undertaking to work as an Enrolled Nurse (General) in NGOs or private organisations recognised by the SWD for providing elderly, rehabilitation, family and child care, or correctional services for a continuous period of no less than three years after completion of the training.

Information seminars on the training programme will be held by the three institutes starting from January. Details of the information seminars are set out in the table below:

Training institute

Date and time of information seminar

Website

Enquiry number

Hong Kong Metropolitan University

2pm,

January 27

Programme content (Chinese only)

www.hkmu.edu.hk/nhs/tc/programmes-courses/nursing-and-health-studies/sub-degree-programmes/hdngf1_hdngosf1/

Application

admissions.hkmu.edu.hk/ug/online-application

3970 2928 /

3970 2957

Saint Francis University

3pm, February 6

Programme content

www.sfu.edu.hk/en/programmes/sub-degree-programmes/higher-diploma-in-enrolled-nursing-general-hden-swd/introduction/index.html

Application

onlineapplication.sfu.edu.hk/oa/admission/hdenswdForm

3702 4388

Tung Wah College

3.30pm, January 28

Programme content

www.twc.edu.hk/en/Programmes/hdn_swd

Application

www.twc.edu.hk/admission/

3190 6672

Applications will be closed at 5pm on March 2. For enquiries, please call the enquiry numbers of the training institutes.

Note: "Attained" in Citizenship and Social Development will be accepted as Level 2.

Hong Kong Legal Forum Promotes International Legal Services in Xi'an, Strengthening Belt and Road Cooperation