City University of Hong Kong (CityUHK) School of Law held the Opening Ceremony for the Doctor of Juridical Science Programme for Chinese Senior Judges, the Master of Laws Programme for Chinese Judges, and the Advanced Programme for Chinese Senior Judges on 23 September. Renowned law experts in Hong Kong and the Mainland gathered at the opening ceremony to extend congratulations to the judges and encouraged them to remain diligent and committed to serving the Mainland, the Greater Bay Area and Hong Kong with their legal knowledge.

The officiating guests included Mr Li Chengyu, President of the National Judges College; Ms Wang Xiaofang, Vice-President of the National Judges College; and Ms Zhou Qian, Director-General, Department of Treaty and Law of The Commissioner’s Office of China’s Foreign Ministry in the HKSAR; Mr Lester Garson Huang, Council Chairman of CityUHK and Professor Freddy Boey, President of CityUHK.

The ceremony was also officiated by Mr Llewellyn Mui Kei-fat, Solicitor General, Constitutional and Policy Affairs Division of Department of Justice of the HKSAR; Mr Bryan Chong Ka-lok, Acting Director of Corruption Prevention of the ICAC; Mr Victor Dawes SC, Chairman of the Hong Kong Bar Association; Mr Roden Tong Man-lung, President of the Law Society of Hong Kong; The Hon Mr Martin Liao Cheung-kong, non-official member of the Executive Council of the HKSAR and Member of the Legislative Council (LegCo) of the HKSAR; Dr the Hon Kennedy Wong Ying-ho, Member of LegCo and Managing Partner of Philip K H Wong, Kennedy Y H Wong & Co; Mr Chen Junsheng, Chairman of China Legal Service (Hong Kong) Ltd; and Professor Lin Feng, Dean of the CityUHK School of Law.

Since 2008, CityUHK's School of Law has collaborated with the Supreme People's Court and its affiliated National Judges College to offer the Advanced Programme for Chinese Senior Judges. Subsequently, it introduced the Master of Laws Programme for Chinese Judges and the Doctor of Juridical Science Programmes for Chinese Senior Judges.

Over the years, these programmes have provided professional legal training to serving judges from the Mainland and facilitated legal exchanges between the Mainland, Hong Kong and the rest of the world by nurturing hundreds of judges who now possess a profound understanding of both Chinese law and common law principles.

In his opening remarks, Mr Li expressed his gratitude to CityUHK for its long-term support in broadening the perspectives of Chinese judges and nurturing legal talent. Over the years, CityUHK's three programmes have trained many judicial professionals serving regions along the Belt and Road and in the Greater Bay Area, earning widespread recognition. He encouraged the participants to cherish the learning opportunities and achieve comprehensive understanding, and said he hoped that the judges and the School of Law would benefit mutually from the teaching and learning process. 

Mr Huang said, “CityUHK attaches great importance on deepening its collaborative relationships with partner institutions in the Mainland. This year marks the 16th anniversary of the collaboration between CityUHK and the National Judge’s College of the Supreme People’s Court of China. As the only academic institution in Hong Kong to provide training programmes for the Mainland judges, we are honoured to serve as a bridge to promote judicial exchange and mutual understanding between the Mainland and Hong Kong, contributing to the Country’s judicial reform and the rule of law.”

Speaking at the ceremony, President Boey expressed his hope that the judges would enhance their legal knowledge during their time at CityUHK and engage in exchanges with their lecturers and fellow students, and wished them greater achievements in the future. “The judges from the Mainland bring different insights to CityUHK and Hong Kong’s legal community, allowing us to gain a deeper understanding of the latest judicial developments in the Mainland,” he added.

In his closing remarks, Professor Lin expressed his gratitude to the offices of the Central People's Government in Hong Kong, the Supreme People's Court and the National Judges College for their support and trust in CityUHK. He said that the School of Law would continue to improve the curriculum for greater benefits for all.

Three freshmen representatives thanked CityUHK for the training opportunity and pledged to apply their new-found knowledge in their careers.