Paul Lam Engages in APEC Meetings, Discusses Structural Reforms and Legal Collaboration in Korea

SJ continues to attend APEC Structural Reform Ministerial Meeting in Incheon, Korea

The Secretary for Justice, Mr Paul Lam, SC, continued to attend the 2025 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Structural Reform Ministerial Meeting in Incheon, Korea, today (October 23).

In the morning, Mr Lam met with the Deputy Minister of Trade of Indonesia, Ms Dyah Roro Esti Widya Putri, before the ministerial meeting and discussed matters of mutual interest, including capacity building on online dispute resolution.

Mr Lam then attended the third and fourth discussion sessions of the ministerialmeeting. On the topic of how structural reform can promote prosperity for all, Mr Lam stated that Hong Kong, China has always been committed to sharing the fruits of prosperity with members of the public. The Chief Executive's Policy Address this year, with the theme "Deepening Reforms for Our People and Leveraging Our Strengths for a Brighter Future", perfectly reflects this policy objective. During the discussion session, Mr Lam introduced Hong Kong, China's measures in housing, labour, healthcare, and support for the development of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises. He also elaborated on Hong Kong, China's vision of further improving people's livelihoods and building a fair and just society through legislation, updating laws, and developing the economy through reforms.

Mr Lam visited the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) Regional Centre for Asia and the Pacific in the afternoon and met with the Head of the Centre, Ms Athita Komindr. He thanked the Commission for its support to the Department of Justice (DoJ), emphasising the close and fruitful collaboration between the two sides over the years. The 6th UNCITRAL Asia Pacific Judicial Summit, a biennial flagship event jointly organised by UNCITRAL and the DoJ, will be held in Hong Kong during the Hong Kong Legal Week this December. To align with the theme "Linking Laws, Bridging Worlds" of the Legal Week this year, the summit will explore topics related to the application of digital economy, virtual assets, artificial intelligence, and other relevant subjects in the judicial field. Legal and dispute resolution professionals and academics from around the world will attend the summit.

In the evening, Mr Lam paid a courtesy call on the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the People's Republic of China to the Republic of Korea, Mr Dai Bing, to brief him on the co-operation between the DoJ and the Ministry of Justice of Korea, and the future work on strengthening the promotion of the advantages of Hong Kong's legal services overseas.

Mr Lam will continue his visit to Korea tomorrow (October 24).

SJ continues to attend APEC Structural Reform Ministerial Meeting in Incheon, Korea Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

SJ continues to attend APEC Structural Reform Ministerial Meeting in Incheon, Korea Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

SJ continues to attend APEC Structural Reform Ministerial Meeting in Incheon, Korea Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

SJ continues to attend APEC Structural Reform Ministerial Meeting in Incheon, Korea Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

SJ continues to attend APEC Structural Reform Ministerial Meeting in Incheon, Korea Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

FSD and BD conduct joint inspection and enforcement operation against industrial buildings

In response to earlier media reports on fire safety issues in certain industrial buildings, the Fire Services Department (FSD) and the Buildings Department (BD) are highly concerned about the situation and conducted a joint inspection and enforcement operation targeting industrial buildings from December 29 to 31, 2025, with a view to ensuring public safety.

The FSD and the BD inspected a total of nine industrial buildings located in various districts in Kowloon and the New Territories during the joint operation. The fire personnel identified a total of 261 irregularities related to various fire hazards, such as obstruction or locking of means of escape, defective or wedged-open smoke stop doors, as well as fire service installations or equipment (FSIs) that were defective or not in efficient working order. The FSD took immediate enforcement action against the persons concerned.

Among the cases related to obstruction of means of escape, the FSD instituted three prosecutions and issued 22 Fire Hazard Abatement Notices (FHANs), requiring the persons concerned to abate the fire hazards within a specified period. Should they fail to comply with the requirements of the FHANs within the period, the FSD will institute resolute prosecution. In addition, inspections revealed that some buildings had defective smoke stop doors and FSIs. The FSD will issue FHANs to the persons concerned and continue to take follow-up action.

The BD identified 13 subdivided flats suspected of being used illegally for domestic purposes. Further investigations are now under way, and letters have been sent to the relevant owners and occupiers asking them to contact the BD as soon as possible to arrange an inspection of their flats. Otherwise, the BD will consider applying for a court warrant to enter the premises for inspection. If it is confirmed that the flats in question have been used for illegal domestic purposes, the BD will take enforcement action in accordance with the Buildings Ordinance, including ordering the cessation of illegal domestic use and rectify the dangerous situations. The BD also identified in the operation that there was dilapidation in the exit staircases of one of the industrial buildings, but no obvious danger to the overall building structure was noted. The BD has issued a repair order to the owners' corporation for conducting the necessary repair work.

Apart from inspection and enforcement, the FSD also carried out fire prevention education and publicity at the same time during the operation to enhance fire safety awareness among owners and occupiers of industrial buildings, thereby mitigating fire risk from the source. The BD has also long been promoting building safety and the proper use of buildings through various channels, including distributing themed posters to management offices of industrial buildings for displaying in prominent places to serve as a reminder to owners and occupiers that industrial buildings must not be used illegally for domestic purposes.