Hong Kong's Justice Secretary Strengthens Legal Ties During Uzbekistan Visit and Signs Cooperation Agreement

2026-08-29 20:29 Last Updated At：21:33

SJ leads cross-professional delegation to Uzbekistan to deepen legal co-operation

The Secretary for Justice, Mr Paul Lam, SC, led a cross-professional delegation comprising members of Hong Kong's legal and dispute resolution sectors, as well as the financial and accounting sectors, to continue their visit to Tashkent, Uzbekistan, today (August 29, Tashkent time), deepening legal co-operation between the two places.

Click to Gallery

Photo

SJ leads cross-professional delegation to Uzbekistan to deepen legal co-operation Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

More Images

Photo

SJ leads cross-professional delegation to Uzbekistan to deepen legal co-operation Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

This morning, Mr Lam met the Minister of Justice of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Mr Akbar Djurabayevich Tashkulov. Mr Lam explained how Hong Kong's advantages of being connected to the Chinese Mainland and the world, as well as its common law system, can assist Uzbek enterprises in expanding into Hong Kong, the Chinese Mainland, and international markets. A Memorandum of Understanding was signed by two sides to enhance collaboration between the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Uzbekistan and the Department of Justice of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government, including exchanges on legal frameworks and policies regarding dispute resolution, as well as sharing experiences in the application of AI technology in the legal sector. Mr Lam then attended a lunch hosted by the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Uzbekistan.

In the afternoon, Mr Lam visited the Center for Islamic Civilization to learn about local efforts in cultural preservation, academic research and education promotion.

In the morning of August 27, Mr Lam and the delegation visited the Tashkent State University of Law and met with the senior management of the university to discuss legal talent training and exchanges.

Mr Lam then attended a lunch with the Mayor of Tashkent City, Mr Umurzakov Shavkat Buranovich, to introduce Hong Kong's distinctive institutional advantages under the "one country, two systems" principle and explore opportunities for co-operation.

In the afternoon, Mr Lam and the delegation met with representatives from the Uzbek Chamber of Commerce for Chinese Entrepreneurs and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Uzbekistan. The Director of the Tashkent International Arbitration Centre, Ms Diana Bayzakova Hamwi, also attended the meeting. Mr Lam introduced Hong Kong's unique advantages and learned about their specific demands for legal services. They also jointly explored ways to strengthen co-operation between the two places to support enterprises in leveraging Hong Kong's professional services to expand into international markets.

Mr Lam and the delegation visited the Ministry of Economy and Finance of the Republic of Uzbekistan to meet with Deputy Minister Mr Abidkhadjaev Umid Kutpitdinovich and the Advisor to the Minister, Mr Jasur Karshibaev yesterday (August 28). They also visited the Ministry of Investment, Industry and Trade of the Republic of Uzbekistan to meet with Deputy Minister Mr Kasimov Ilzat Ablakhatovich. Mr Lam and the delegation shared Hong Kong's professional experiences in areas such as investment, cross-border trade, commercial and dispute resolution under the common law system, and explored how Hong Kong could help advance the development of the Tashkent International Financial Centre.

In the afternoon, Mr Lam and the delegation visited and had a lunch with the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the People's Republic of China to the Republic of Uzbekistan, Mr Yu Jun. They exchanged views on topics including consolidating Hong Kong's role as an international legal hub and strengthening co-operation with international legal and dispute resolution institutions. Mr Lam then met with the Chairman of the Chamber of Advocates of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Mr Shukhrat Shavkatovich Sadikov, to discuss ways to deepen exchanges and collaboration between legal professionals in the two places.

In the evening, Mr Lam attended a Uzbekistan Independence Day celebration activity.

Mr Lam concluded his visit today and will return to Hong Kong tomorrow (August 30).

CFS Warns Against Consumption of Taiwanese Rice Vermicelli Containing Formaldehyde Trace Amounts

CFS finds trace amount of formaldehyde in prepackaged rice vermicelli sample

The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department today (August 29) announced that a prepackaged rice vermicelli sample imported from Taiwan was found to contain trace amount of formaldehyde. The CFS is following up on the incident, and urges the public not to consume the affected batch of the product concerned. The trade should also stop using or selling the affected product if they possess it.

Product details are as follows:

Product name: Hsin Tung Yang Rice Noodles

Brand: Hsin Tung Yang

Place of origin: Taiwan

Distributor: B&S Company

Net weight: 300 grams

Best-before date: April 10, 2029

A spokesman for the CFS said, "The CFS collected the above-mentioned sample from an online vendor for testing under its Food Surveillance Programme. The test result showed that the sample contained formaldehyde at a level of 12 parts per million."

The spokesman added, "The CFS has informed the vendor and the distributor concerned of the irregularity, and instructed the distributor concerned to immediately stop sales, remove from shelves, and initiate a recall of the affected batch of the product. Members of the public may call the distributor's hotline at 3628 7800 during office hours for enquiries about the recall. Furthermore, the CFS' follow-up investigation found that the distributor concerned stored about 450 cartons of the affected batch of the product in its warehouse. The CFS has immediately marked and sealed the products concerned."

The CFS has also enhanced formaldehyde testing at the import and retail levels, and has recently collected over 70 food samples, including Chinese white cabbages, vegetables and rice vermicelli, for testing of formaldehyde content. Except for the rice vermicelli sample detected with formaldehyde, no other unsatisfactory testing results have been found so far. Follow-up action is ongoing.

In addition, the CFS has taken over 175 rice vermicelli samples from January 2023 to July 2026 for various tests (including formaldehyde test), and all samples passed the tests.

Although the International Agency for Research on Cancer has classified formaldehyde as Group 1 carcinogen, it is limited to exposure via inhalation. According to the recently published information by the World Health Organization, exposure to formaldehyde via the oral route is not carcinogenic.

The spokesman said, "Based on the level of formaldehyde detected in the sample, it is unlikely to pose any adverse health effect upon normal consumption. However, under existing legislation in Hong Kong, formaldehyde is not permitted for use as a food preservative. Contravention of the law could lead to a maximum fine of $50,000 and six months' imprisonment."

The CFS advises members of the public to patronise reliable restaurants and food retailers. As formaldehyde is water-soluble and highly volatile, washing and cooking food ingredients thoroughly before consumption can reduce the relevant risk. The trade should be cautious about the origins from which the food products are sourced, and should only obtain them from reliable sources.

The CFS has alerted the trade, and will continue to follow up on the incident and take appropriate action. The investigation is ongoing.