hong kong case law research

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Legal Research Guide: Hong Kong

Back to Foreign and International Law

Introduction to Hong Kong's Legal System

Official sources of law, print sources, web sources.

The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, while constitutionally integrated into the People’s Republic of China, retains the common law system of governance used during its 150 years under the jurisdiction of the United Kingdom. On July 1, 1997, the sovereignty of Hong Kong was restored to China through an agreement known as the Joint Declaration of the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the Government of the People’s Republic of China on the Question of Hong Kong .  According to the Joint Declaration, the Basic Law, Hong Kong's mini-constitution, provides for the continued operation of the common law and capitalist economy within Hong Kong through the application of a principle known as “one country, two systems.”

The Hong Kong governance structure includes executive, legislative, and judicial branches. The Chief Executive, whose term of office runs for five years, is elected by an 800 person Election Committee and then appointed by the central Chinese government. While the ultimate aim for the Legislative Council, according to the Basic Law , is universal suffrage, it presently has 30 of its members elected by geographic and functional constituencies, 24 by universal suffrage, and 6 by the Election Committee. The structure of the Hong Kong Judiciary includes the Court of Final Appeal, the High Court, which includes the Court of Appeal as well as the Court of First Instance, a variety of District Courts, and the Magistracy. There are also a variety of specialized tribunals.

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The Basic Law is, in effect, the mini-constitution of Hong Kong. All public policies and practices must be based upon the Basic Law . In addition to setting out principles for the social and economic systems, the system to protect individual rights and freedoms as well as the political structure, it affirms that the capitalist system shall remain in force for 50 years from the inception of the Special Administrative Region.

Common Law and Rules of Equity

Hong Kong’s common law system utilizes judicial precedent as a process to interpret and enforce the law. According to Article 84 of the Basic Law , Hong Kong judges may refer to judicial decisions, as precedents, from any common law jurisdiction. Additionally, the Court of Final Appeal as well as the judiciary generally are permitted to invite judges from other common law jurisdictions to serve in Hong Kong.

Statutory Law

Most of Hong Kong’s law derives from statute and is found in the Laws of Hong Kong in the form of Ordinances. According to Hong Kong tradition, much of Hong Kong’s law is included in subsidiary legislation where the original legislation delegates to the executive body responsible for administering the law, the authority to create, in effect, by-laws.

Chinese Customary Law

Chinese customary law and rights are recognized in Hong Kong under certain circumstances; for instance, the New Territories Ordinance, Chapter 97, permits the courts to acknowledge and apply pertinent aspects of Chinese customary law, particularly in land inheritance matters.

International Law

In accordance with Article 13 of the Basic Law,   the Central Chinese Government retains control over foreign affairs; Hong Kong, however, as stated in Chapter VII, Article 151, may maintain and develop relations with states and organizations in the fields of economic affairs, trade, finance and monetary affairs, shipping, tourism, culture, and sports. Treaties do not have effect in Hong Kong until they are incorporated by legislation. International treaties and customary law may be applied by courts as part of the common law.  

Laws of Hong Kong, published by Government Printer, LOC call number: KNR1.9 1951

• A statute book in which all current legislation is placed.

Hong Kong Gazette, published by Government Printer

• A publication which first publishes all Hong Kong legislation.

Addison’s Digests, LOC call number: KNR 2.23.A2 H66

• A series of books that compiles and indexes summaries of published and unpublished law reports.

Hong Kong Law Reports & Digest, published by Sweet & Maxwell Asia

• A publication of an indexed summary of major cases in Hong Kong.

Hong Kong Cases, published by LexisNexis

Halsbury’s Laws of Hong Kong, published by LexisNexis

• A publication including an encyclopedic statement of the laws of Hong Kong.

Hong Kong Public Law Reports, published by LexisNexis

• A publication of an indexed summary of major public law cases in Hong Kong.
• Bilingual Legal Information System (external link) A legal database which includes all current Hong Kong legislation.
• Hong Kong Legal Information Institute (external link) A legal database which compiles all major references to Hong Kong law.
• Lexis (external link) A commercial database that includes Hong Kong law.

For more information on Hong Kong see:

• Global Legal Monitor: Hong Kong
• Guide to Law Online: Hong Kong

Last Updated: 12/30/2020

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Plan and Pricing

• eBRAM Main Website

Hong Kong Legal Cloud:

Tools for the legal and DR community

Developed by eBRAM as a cybersecure-by-design and privacy-by-design platform for the local legal and dispute resolution communities, the Hong Kong Legal Cloud provides users with secure, affordable and user-friendly services for:

• legal research (powered by Lexis Advance® Hong Kong)
• document storage and exchange
• secure machine-learning enabled translation

Free subscription for Eligible Users .

Developed by eBRAM as a cybersecurity-by-design and privacy-by-design platform for the local legal and dispute resolution communities, the Hong Kong Legal Cloud provides users with secure, affordable and user-friendly services for:

• legal research platform (powered by Lexis Advance® Hong Kong)

The Hong Kong Legal Cloud, jointly built by lawyers and IT specialists, is the first cloud-based document platform tailored to the unique needs of the legal and dispute resolution communities, particularly those who work in small and medium-sized firms. Equipped with advanced technologies, the Hong Kong Legal Cloud provides users with affordable online LawTech services that might otherwise only be available to practitioners working in larger law firms and chambers.

Document storage and exchange platform

The Hong Kong Legal Cloud provides users with a platform with bank-grade security suitable for the storing and sharing of documents between users and other parties.

• Up to 100GB online storage per user
• Intuitive document upload, foldering and sharing facility
• Equipped with bank-grade encryption and blockchain technology for secure data storage and to guard against tampering (a full Privacy Impact Assessment and a Security Risk Assessment have been completed)
• Files are stored securely in Hong Kong data centres with high data availability (with regard to service uptime, data protection and disaster recovery)
• Authenticated external user access and shared file folders with access expiry

Legal document storage and exchange

The Hong Kong Legal Cloud provides users with a platform with bank-grade security suitable for the storing and sharing of legal documents between users and other parties.

Lexis Advance® Hong Kong legal research platform

eBRAM has partnered with LexisNexis® to provide users with direct access to Lexis Advance® Hong Kong – a comprehensive legal research platform containing the latest legislation, case law and commentary. Equipped with an intuitive and user-friendly interface, Lexis Advance® Hong Kong allows users to search across the full content, applying incisive filters to narrow down results and streamline their research.

Content includes:

• Annotated Ordinances of Hong Kong
• CaseBase Hong Kong
• Halsbury’s Laws of Hong Kong
• Hong Kong Bilingual Legal Dictionary
• Hong Kong Cases
• Hong Kong Cases Unreported
• Laws of Hong Kong
• Practical Guidance Corporate
• Lexis Analytics Hong Kong

Secure Machine Translation

Users can upload their documents to the Legal Cloud translation service, which uses machine-learning enabled translation to translate documents to and from 15 major Asian, Middle Eastern and European languages.

• Languages – Chinese (Traditional and Simplified), English, Arabic, Russian, Spanish, Japanese, Korean, Thai, Vietnamese, Bahasa Indonesia, Bahasa Malaysia, Filipino, French, German, Portuguese
• Users will receive an email with a link to the translated documents once completed
• Users also have the option to save and share the translated documents via the Document Exchange Platform
• If required, users have the option of requesting human professional translation services at an additional cost
• If required, users have the option of requesting human professional translation services at additional cost

Free subscription for eligible users

The Department of Justice will subsidise the cost of access to the Hong Kong Legal Cloud for eligible local legal and dispute resolution professionals for FREE for up to one year.

A subscriber in Hong Kong, who falls within any of the following categories, may apply for a free subscription:

• Solicitors admitted in Hong Kong*
• Barristers who have attained the right to full practice in Hong Kong*
• Mediators accredited by the HKMAAL
• Fellow or chartered Arbitrators of HKIArb or CIArb (East Asia Branch)
• Trainee Solicitors and Pupil Barristers registered in Hong Kong
• PCLL students at CityU, CUHK or HKU

*or any one of the recognised jurisdictions as stipulated under section 2A and Schedule 2 of the Legal Officers Ordinance (Cap. 87)

Value of Service : HK$3,600 per user, per year

The Plan includes:

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Scope of this Guide

• Where are Cases Found?
• How are Cases Cited?
• Locating and Noting Up Cases
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This guide is an introduction to case law research. Case law is the law based on decisions that have been made by judges in the past. Together with statute law, case law is a primary source of law. 

Listed here are the resources as well as the ways and means for effective case law research. While the focus is on Hong Kong and the United Kingdom, legal materials of other common law jurisdictions will also be covered. 

• Next: Where are Cases Found? >>
• Last Updated: Jul 10, 2024 3:14 PM
• URL: https://libguides.library.cityu.edu.hk/caselaw

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Legal research : Hong Kong online legal search portal

D-Law is an all-rounded Hong Kong online legal search portal assisting law professionals to conduct legal research. The handy links to judiciary sources help to pinpoint results more efficiently and cost-effectively.

LEGAL RESEARCH: HONG KONG ONLINE LEGAL SEARCH PORTAL

The procedure of recognizing and recovering information essential to sustain legal forming of decisions is referred to as legal research. It is initiated with a detailed examination and study of the facts of an issue and ends with finding its relevance and message of the results of this analysis. bankruptcy records

Legal research is used to:

1. Find the main source of authority or law in a particular jurisdiction.

2. To find background evidence relating to legal issues by doing a search of secondary authorities.

3. To find investigative information by searching for a source that is not legal.

Legal research is done by those who are in search of legal information. It can be explored in libraries, a number of free websites are available which allow legal search online, through a wide range of books etc. Legal research is an art lawyer should be familiar with regardless of what is their area of expertise and practice. It is essential to identify the issue for that the research to be effective. hong kong company search

Aims of legal research:

1. To find the right authorities that will assist in solving legal issues.

2. To simplify the law by studying it in reduced parts or in small separate sections.

3. To study different aspects of statutes and cases and blend it to form useful general rules.

4. To gain a better understanding of the subject when in an argument of finding different ways of performing tasks. winding up search

5. To make modules and books as study material for learners.

Legal search online portal or search engine helps legal professional like lawyers conduct legal research on a number of topics. They also have links to judiciary to pinpoint results proficiently as well as economically and also to do eco on iCal research. Legal research is needed to solve many cases like company law, bankruptcy, medical frauds, divorce, personal injury, property and so on and so forth. Legal search in Hong Kong is also needed to collect and compile all facts which D-Law as a firm does in the best way possible.

D-Law is an overall Honk Kong online legal search portal assist law professionals in every way possible to conduct research. It has amazing user-friendly search features also has a huge database as the support system. It allows the clients to find information from historical to the most recent cases of courts in Hong Kong. It helps to search about any court case wherein shareholders or directors of companies in Hong Kong are involved and also how frequently these cases were filed along with what kinds of claims were made. This firm’s special service ensures a proper legal research to help in making clear, valid and better decisions. It becomes convenient to find all relevant information by performing online legal research. It is a one-pause method to do legal search online saving time and effort. D-Law offers great speed and flexibility in performing this legal research and enhances the overall experience of the user.

At D-Law, we provide comprehensive yet user-friendly service solutions to assist law professionals conduct legal research more efficiently. With searchable access to over 3 million civil and criminal records from the courts of Hong Kong case, currently dating as far back to 1990 for civil records and 2005 for criminal records - finding the relevant data is more convenient than ever. More importantly, we achieve what will usually require a search in several destinations in a convenient one-stop-shop approach to save the user time and effort. Essentially, this means less time searching, and more time preparing cases.

Additionally, our handy links to judiciary sources and hearing history features are aimed at keeping you informed of published and newly filed litigation records with chronological records of hearing dates scheduled together with any adjournments made.

Research & Content Solutions

To further enhance the research experience, our various search options and additional features are built to offer increased flexibility and speed when searching for results.

For more details of our service scope, please visit our litigation records coverage page

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HKU Legal Scholarship Blog

Follow the research activities and scholarship of the Faculty of Law, The University of Hong Kong

Sunday, October 23, 2022

New edition by eric ip: law and justice in hong kong: principles of the legal system (4th edition) (sweet & maxwell).

Law and Justice in Hong Kong: Principles of the Legal System (4thEdition) Eric Ip Sweet & Maxwell Published in September 2022 507 pp.

'This book, Law and Justice in Hong Kong , has become an indispensable reference for anyone interested in or working with the Hong Kong legal system.'

Madam Justice Beverley McLachlin PC, CC, CStJ , Non–Permanent Judge of the Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal, Chief Justice of Canada (2000–2017)

Thoroughly rewritten and updated, the fourth edition of Law and Justice in Hong Kong continues to offer readers a comprehensive account of the legal system of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China—the only common law jurisdiction in East Asia. Featuring discussions of the latest case law, the COVID-19 pandemic, and watershed legal events in recent years, it enables readers to appreciate the fundamental principles of law and the administration of justice that drove Hong Kong’s historic transition from a fishing settlement into a leading international financial centre over the course of nearly two centuries. 

An essential text for students studying Legal System and Legal Research, this book is useful also to legal practitioners, jurists, and general readers, both in Hong Kong and abroad, who find interest in the spectacle of an internationalised common law system operating under the sovereignty of the world’s most powerful socialist state.

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Chinese (PRC) & Hong Kong Law

• Introduction
• Legislation
• Books, Journals & Theses
• News / Current Awareness / Blogs
• Basic Law & Legislation
• Books & Journals
• Referencing and citing

Judicial Consideration of Cases - Finding Cases Citing other Cases

• Lexis US Research CaseBase Hong Kong - on Lexis US (International)
• From the Lexis home page, select China & Hong Kong (in the 'International' tab)
• From the China & Hong Kong page, select All Hong Kong Cases
• From the All Hong Kong Cases page, select CaseBase Hong Kong 

CaseBase Hong Kong is a case citator that covers all reported and most unreported Hong Kong judgments, as well as key overseas cases (such as from England or other Commonwealth jurisdictions) where they are referred to in Hong Kong judicial decisions. CaseBase includes key case details - party names, court, judges, judgment date, parallel citations - and catchwords and tables of legislation referred to. To clarify the precedential value of each case, all cross-references between cases are displayed and classified (applied, distinguished, overruled, considered etc) and summarised with colour-coded signals (characterising the treatment as positive, cautionary, negative or neutral). CaseBase links to full-text reported and unreported judgments and primary legislation. 

Finding Cases on Legislative Provisions

• Lexis+ Australia (UniMelb staff & student access) To find leading cases on legislative provisions, use the Annotated Ordinances of Hong Kong on Lexis+ Australia (UniMelb staff & students only). Scroll to the Ordinance in which you are interested, then use the + signs to open to the relevant section and then click on Commentary. This will link to commentary and leading cases. 

Hong Kong Courts

• Court of Final Appeal Hong Kong’s highest court is the Court of Final Appeal (called the Supreme Court before 1997 and then briefly the High Court).

For information on the history, operation, and jurisprudence of the Court of Final Appeal, see:

See also the following books for commentary on the courts, judiciary and judicial interpretation:

Where to find Hong Kong Case Law in English

Note that all the law reports and unreported cases on Westlaw that are listed below can be searched at the same time. Similarly, all the law reports and unreported cases on Lexis can be searched at the same time.

Reported Decisions 

• Hong Kong Law Reports and Digest (UniMelb staff & student access) Hong Kong Law Reports and Digest (HKLRD) - one of Hong Kong's two authorised law report series - on Westlaw. Coverage 1905 to current. Contains reported decisions from the Court of Final Appeal, the Court of Appeal of the High Court, and the Court of First Instance of the High Court, the courts of the British crown colony of Hong Kong (the Privy Council, the Court of Appeal, and the High Court); and other courts and tribunals, such as the District Court and Lands Tribunal. • From the Westlaw home page, select International Materials > Hong Kong > Law Reports
• Hong Kong Cases (HKC On Lexis+ Australia. Coverage: 1842 to current. Contains significant decisions from all HK courts. ​Note: This can be browsed by year or searched.
• Hong Kong Law Digest Yearbook (HKLY) On Westlaw. Coverage 1985 to current. Also known as Hong Kong Law Yearbook and Hong Kong Law Reports & Digest Yearbook. ​Note: This can only be searched, not browsed. It contains digests only, not full decisions. Many, but not all, of the decisions included in HKLY are digested from Hong Kong Law Reports and Digest (HKLRD). • ​From the Westlaw home page, select International Materials > Hong Kong > Case Digests
• Hong Kong Family Law Reports On Lexis+ Australia Coverage 2005 to current. Note: This can be browsed by year or searched.

Unreported Decisions 

• Judgments and Legal Reference database (Open access) The Hong Kong Judiciary's Judgments and Legal Reference database includes completely up to date decisions of significance as legal precedents on points of law, practice and procedure of the courts and of public interest from the following courts delivered between 1946 and 1948, and from 1966 onwards from: • Court of Final Appeal (since its establishment in 1997) • Court of Appeal of the High Court • Court of First Instance of the High Court • Competition Tribunal (since its establishment in 2015) • District Court • Family Court • Lands Tribunal The courts and tribunal decisions can be browsed by year or searched. Decisions from all courts and tribunals can be searched at the same time. This database also includes:
• Reasons for Sentence High Court and District Court (from 2009 to current).
• Reasons for Verdict District Court (from 2012 to current).
• Practice Directions
• Press Summaries Media Releases on Court of final Appeal Decisions.
• HKLII (Open access) Decisions from individual courts can be browsed by year, and searched. Decisions from all courts can be searched at the same time on HKLII. Includes:
• Court of Final appeal
• Court of Appeal
• Court of first Instance
• Hong Kong Court of Final Appeals (UniMelb staff & student access) On Westlaw (UniMelb staff & student access). Coverage from 1997 to current. • From the Westlaw home page, select International Materials > Hong Kong>Hong Kong Cases > Hong Kong Cases: Court of Final Appeals. • Note: this is not the authorised Hong Kong Court of Final Appeals Reports. We do not have access to this report series.
• Hong Kong Cases Unreported (UniMelb staff & student access) On Lexis+ Australia, coverage: 1905 to current. Contains decisions from the Court of Final Appeal, Court of Appeal and Court of First Instance (High Court), District Court, Lands Tribunal and other specialist tribunals. Note: This database can only be searched, not browsed. • From the Lexis home page, go to Browse > Publications > Hong Kong > by Content Type > HK Cases • Click on Hong Kong Cases Unreported to add this as a search filter. Note: this database can be searched but not browsed by year / volume/.
• Hong Kong Cases: Unreported / Alert Service (UniMelb staff & student access) On Westlaw .Full-text cases from the Hong Kong Latest Judgments-Alert Service, including unreported decisions from the Hong Kong regional courts and the Privy Council. Coverage begins with 1999. • From the Westlaw home page, select International Materials > Hong Kong > Hong Kong Cases > Hong Kong Cases: Unreported / Alert Service.
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• Last Updated: May 28, 2024 4:12 PM
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Chinese Legal Research

Chinese legal research guides.

Print Guides:

Chinese law and legal research / by Wei Luo. Morris Call Number: LES KNQ47 .L86 2005

Chinese law: Context and transformation / Jianfu Chen. Morris Call Number: LES KNQ68 .C3638X 2016

Chinese legal research / Paul Kossof. Morris Call Number: LES KNQ47 .K67X 2014

Hong Kong legal research : methods and skills / John Bahrij. Morris Call Number: LES   KNQ47 .B34 2007

The Hong Kong legal system / Stefan H. C. Lo, Kevin Kwok-yin Cheng, Wing Hong Chui. Morris Call Number:  LES KNQ9308 .L627X 2020

Legal System, History of the Party, Legal Tradition and History

Baum, R., Burying Mao  (1996)*

Buhi, J.,  Global constitutional narratives of autonomous regions : the constitutional history of Macau (2021)

Chen, A.,  An introduction to the legal system of the People's Republic of China  (2011)*

Chen, A., The changing legal orders in Hong Kong and mainland China : essays on "One Country, Two Systems" (2021)

Cohen, Edwards, and Chen, ed.,  Essays on China's legal tradition  (1980)

Lieberthal, K.,  Governing China  (2004)*

O'Brien, K.,  Reform without liberalization, china's National People's Congress and the Politics of Institutional Change  (2008)*

Shambaugh, D.,  China's Communist Party: Atrophy and Adaptation  (2008)*

Wang, L., Self-determination and minority rights in China / by Linzhu Wang (2019)

Overview, Rule of Law and Legal Reform

Balme, S. & Dowdle, ed.,  Building Constitutionalism in China  (2009)*

Chen, J.,  Chinese Law: Towards an Understanding of Chinese Law,  its Nature and Development  (1999)

Chen, J.,  Chinese Law: Context and Transformation  (2008)*

Chen, J., Chinese Law: Context and Transformation (2016)

Clarke, D.,  China's Legal System: New Developments, New Challenges  (2008)*

Fu, H., Transparency challenges facing China / edited by Fu Hualing, Michael Palmer, and Zhang Xianchu (2019)

Goldman, M.,  From Comrade to Citizen: The Struggle for Political Rights in China  (2005)*

Liu, Chenglin,  Chinese law in context (2020)

O' Brien, K.  Reform Without Liberalization, China's National People's Congress and the Politics of Institutional Change  (2008)*

Peerenboom, R.,  China's Long March Toward the Rule of Law  (2002)*

Yu, K.,  Democracy and the rule of law in China  (2010)

Zhao, Y., Chinese legal reform and the global legal order : adoption and adaptation (2018)

Constitutional Law and Procedure

Su, L., The constitution of ancient China / Su Li (2018)

Administrative Law and Procedure

Ginsburg, T. and Chen, A., ed.,  Administrative law and governance in Asia : comparative perspectives  (2009) *

Peerenboom, R.,  Administrative Law and Governance in Asi a  (2009)*

Woo, M. & Gallagher, M., ed.,   Chinese Justice Civil Dispute Resolution in Contemporary China  (2011)*

Civil Law and Procedure

The draft civil code of the People's Republic of China : English translation  (2010)

Chen, J.,  From administrative authorisation to private law : a comparative perspective of the developing civil law in the People's Republic of China  (1995)

Towards a Chinese civil code : comparative and historical perspectives / edited by Lei Chen & C.H. (Remco) van Rhee

Criminal Law and Procedure

Liu, Y.,   Origins of Chinese law : penal and administrative law in its early development  (1998)

Luo, W.,  The amended criminal procedure law and the criminal court rules of the People's Republic of China : with English translation, introduction, and annotation.  (2000)

Luo, W.,  T he amended and annotated Criminal Code of the People's Republic of China with official interpretations . 2d ed. (2012)

Luo, W.,  The amended and annotated Criminal procedure law of the People's Republic of China with official interpretations . (2018)

McConville, M.,  Criminal Justice in China: An Empirical Inquiry  (2011)*

Mulhahn, K.,  Criminal Justice in China: A History  (2009)*

Sapio, F.,  Sovereign power and the law in China  (2010)

Anti-Monopoly/Antitrust Law

Competition law and intellectual property in China / edited by Ioannis Kokkoris, Spyros Maniatis, Xiaoye Wang ; associated editor, Cristina Volpin. (2019)

Jin, S. and Luo, W.,  Competition law in China  (2002)

Harris, S.,  Anti-monopoly law and practice in China  (2011)

Shan, H.,  The protection of trade secrets in China  (2008)

Wang, X. and Su, J.,  Competition law in China  (2012)

Williams, M.,  Competition policy and law in China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan  (2005)

Business/Commercial Law

China business law guide

Fu, J.,  Corporate disclosure and corporate governance in China  (2010)

Moser, M.,  Managing business disputes in today's China : duelling with dragon s  (2007)

Roos, M.,  Chinese commercial law : a practical guide  (2010 )

Zimmerman, J.K.,   China law deskbook : a legal guide for foreign-invested enterprise s  (2010)

Intellectual Property

Alford, W.,  To Steal a Book is an Elegant Offens e  (1997)*

Chow, Daniel C.K.,  A primer on foreign investment enterprises and protection of intellectual property inChina  (2003)

Clark, D.,  Patent litigation in China  (2011)

Devonshire-Ellis, C., Scott A., and Woollard S., ed.,  Intellectual property rights in China  (2011)

Dimitrov, M.K.,  Piracy and the state : the politics of intellectual property rights in China  (2011)

Hu, R.,  Guide to China copyright law studie s  (2000)

Hu, R.,  Research guide to Chinese copyright law (2016)

Hu, R.,  Research guide to Chinese patent law and practic e  (2002)

Hu, R.,  Research guide to Chinese trademark law and practice  (2009)

Kossof, P.  Chinese trademark law : the New Chinese Trademark Law of 2014 (2014)

Lin, Zhou, ed.,  China court cases on intellectual property rights  (2011)

Luo, D., Landmark copyright cases in China : an in-depth analysis / Luo Dongchuan ; translated by He Jiong (2019)

Mertha, A.C.,  The  Politics of Piracy: Intellectual Property in Contemporary China  (2005)*

Tan, L.,  Pirates in the Middle Kingdom : the ensuing trademark battle  (2007)

Wang, Z.,  Landmark trademark cases in China : an in-depth analysis (2017)

Keller, P., ed.,  Obligations and property rights in Chin a

Richards, Chen and del Pezzo,  Practical global family law : United States, China, and Italy  (2011)

Labor and Employment Law

Brown R.C.,  Understanding labor and employment law in China  (2010)

Hunter, C., et al.,   Employment law in China (2008)

Lauffs, A.,  Employment law & practice in China  (2008)

Lu, H.,  The right to work in China : Chinese labor legislation in the light of the international covenant on economic, social and cultural rights  (2011)

Neal, A. (ed.),  Cross-currents in modern Chinese labour law (2014)

Environmental Law

Bennett, J. et al., ed.,  Environmental protection in China : land-use management  (2011)

Chinese Academy of Social Sciences yearbooks. Environment . Monographic Series. (2007-)

Elgar Research Handbook of Chinese Environmental Law  (2015)

McElwee, C.,  Environmental law in China : managing risk and ensuring compliance  (2011)

Rooij, B.,  Regulating land and pollution in China : lawmaking, compliance, and enforcement : theory and cases   (2006)

Stalley, P.,  Foreign firms, investment, and environmental regulation in the People's Republic of China   (2010)

Sun, X., et al., eds.,  Water resources management in the People's Republic of Chin a  (2010)

Zeng, K. and Eastin, J.,  Greening China : the benefits of trade and foreign direct investment   (2011)

Zhou, Chen,  Legal barriers to technology transfer under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change : the example of China (2019)

Property Rights, Land Tenure/Use

Ho, P.,  I nstitutions in transition : land ownership, property rights, and social conflict in China  (2005)

Keller, P., ed.,  Obligations and property rights in China  (2011)

Zelin, M., Ocko, J., and Gardella, R., ed.,  Contract and property in early modern China  (2004)

Arbitration, Mediation and Dispute Resolution

Chen, D.,  International arbitration in the People's Republic of China : commentary, cases and materials (2000)

Chen, H.,  Predictability of 'public policy' in article V of the New York Convention under mainland China's judicial practice (2017)

Cohen, J. et al., ed.,  Arbitration in China : a practical guide  (2004)

Ho, V.,  Labor dispute resolution in China : implications for labor rights and legal reform   (2003)

Mo, J.,  Arbitration law in China  (2001)

Tang, J.,  A historical, philosophical, and legal analysis of Chinese mediation  (1999)

Tao, J.,  Arbitration law and practice in China  (2012)

Zhu, S.,  Securities dispute resolution in China  (2011)

Martime Law

Chen, X.,  Limitation of liability for maritime claims : a study of U.S. law, Chinese law and international conventions   (2001)

Zou, K.,  China's marine legal system and the law of the sea   (2005)

Chao, J.,  The regulatory environment of Chinese taxation  (2005)

International Law

Pittman, P.  Assessing treaty performance in China : trade and human rights (2014)

Xue, Hanquin,  Chinese contemporary perspectives on international law : history, culture and international law (2012)

International Economic Law

Wang, Guiguo, International Investment law: a Chinese Perspective (2015)

Chaisse, Julien, China's international investment strategy: bilateral, regional and global law and policy (2019)

Scholarship and Reference Tools

Zhang, Nongji, Legal scholars and scholarship in the People's Republic of China : the first generation (1949-1992).

Recommended reading for Spring 2012 Reading Group on Chinese law*.

AsianLII: Laws of the People's Republic of China

The website contains an A to Z list of laws of the PRC derived mainly from government websites ChinaLaw (Information Centre for Legislative Affairs Office of the PRC State Council) and ChinaCourt (Supreme Peoples' Court).

AsianLII: Laws of the People's Republic of China(link is external)

National Database of Laws and Regulations (国家法律法规数据库)

Official database of laws and regulations launched February 2021. Currently in Chinese only and contains: Constitution, Laws, Administrative Regulations, Local Regulations, Judicial Interpretations. See additional information  (link is external) about the scope of coverage of the database.

National Database of Laws and Regulations (link is external)

China Court (中国法院网)

Official website of the Supreme People's Court and People's Court Newspaper

China Court 中国法院网(link is external)

China Law Translate

Interactive, crowd-sourced, English-Chinese translation website for legal materials and news. Created and maintained by Jeremy Daum at the China Center, Yale Law School.

China Law Translate(link is external)

China Local Gazetteers Database ( 新方志 )

Contains approximately 25,000 volumes of Chinese gazetteers published after 1949, covering 31 provinces and autonomous regions of the People's Republic of China; in addition, provides detailed geographic and historical records of provinces, prefectures, cities, and smaller district/administrative units.

China Local Gazetteers Database(link is external)

China Media Law Database

The open-source database provides a collection of English-language translations of Chinese media policy laws and regulations, including those related to copyright. The latest updates are from 2015.

China Media Law Database(link is external)

Database of the National People's Congress (历届全国人大资料信息)

A collection of reports on the National People's Congresses, primarily by People's Daily and People's Daily Online. It includes agendas, lists of deputies, proposals, documents, resolutions, press conferences and news reports, including photos and video.

Database of the National People's Congress

Gazette of the State Council of the People's Republic of China

A bilingual website including gazettes issued by the State Council 2000-current.

Gazette of the State Council of the People's Republic of China(link is external)

Law-Lib.com Free Database (法律图书馆)

A free comprehensive database of PRC laws and regulations at both the national and local levels. Secondary sources including theses and dissertations, directories, book abstracts are also covered.

Law-Lib.com Free Database 法律图书馆(link is external)

Laws of the People's Republic of China

A looseleaf publication of English translation of major laws compiled by the Legislative Affairs Commission of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress of the People's Republic of China (1987-2003 ceased publication). It has good English translation and indices arranged by subject and date of promulgation of legislation.

Morris Call Number: LES KNQ12 .C484

Lexis China (律商网)

Comprehensive bilingual database including legislation, case law, administrative decisions, national standards, journals and practice notes.

Lexis China

Ministry of Justice of the PRC (中国政府法律信息网 - 行政法规库)

With up-to-date administrative regulations.

MOJ Administrative Regulations

PKUlaw (ChinaLawInfo/InfoLawChina (北大法宝)

Also known as ChinaLawInfo (Chinese platform) and InfoLawChina (English platform). A comprehensive bilingual database for searching PRC laws and regulations (since 1949), cases, journal articles, and gazettes.

PKUlaw (ChinaLawInfo/InfoLawChina)

China International Commercial Court (最高人民法院任命国际商事法庭)

Bilingual website with information on judges profiles, laws and legislation, judicial interpretation, representative cases, and selections of articles.

China International Commercial Court 最高人民法院任命国际商事法庭(link is external)

China Maritime Trial (中国海事审判)

China Maritime Trial (English)(link is external)

Court Case Related to the Basic Law Database

Court Case Related to the Basic Law Database (link is external)

Supreme People's Courts Case Database (人民法院案例库)

Supreme People's Courts Case Database (人民法院案例库 )

Provides a collection of edited cases (not original judgments)

Stanford Law School China Guiding Cases Project (中国指导性案例项目)

An initiative launched by Stanford Law School to make a searchable database of “guiding cases” from China’s Supreme People’s Court available in Chinese and English translation. The website's Wex-like feature allows legal experts from around the world to provide commentaries on the decisions. Website closed 2021.

Stanford Law School Guiding Cases Project(link is external)

Zhongguo shen pan an li yao lan (中国审判案例要览)

The print collection of notable cases 1993- published by Renmin University (人民大学); also in PKUlaw case law database.

Library of Congress: Global Legal Monitor: China: Supreme People’s Court Issues Guidance on Similar-Case Searches (September 2020) (Link is external)

Supreme Court Monitor blog post : Supreme People's Court issues guidance on cross-border commercial and procedural legal issues (January 2021) 

Supreme Court Monitor blog post : The Supreme People's Court's new case database (March 6 2024)

Supreme Court Monitor blog post : The Supreme People's Court and its English language websites (June 10 2024)

Select Journals and Journal Portals:

The China Journal

Contemporary China Centre, Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies, Australian National University - 1995-present (UES)

Morris Call Number: DS701 .A93

The China Quarterly

University of London, 1961-present - UES, L1. Also available online.

Morris Call Number: DS701 .C472

The China Quarterly (Online)

Chinese Journal of Comparative Law (Online)

Chinese Journal of International Law

World Academy Press, 2002-present - UES

Morris Call Number: K3. H636 ,  Online

China Law and Practice

The online newsletter has new business law an regulations updates and law archive. In English. The library has print subscription 1989-2012 (UES). The library does not subscribe to the resource. Selective content is available here .

Morris Call Number: K3 .H57

China Law Reporter

China Committee, under Section of International Law of the American Bar Association - 1980-1991/93 at LSF, 1980-1999 online. As of June 2018, publication resumed (Volume 7 Issue 1).

Morris Call Number: K3 .H6 ,  China Law Reporter (ABA International Law Section. China Committee)(link is external)

HeinOnline(link is external)

China Review

Chinese University Press, 2001-present - UES.

Morris Call Number: DS701 .C486

China Rights Forum

Human Rights in China, Inc. (1996-present) - UES.

Morris Call Number: JC599.C6 C47

Online(link is external)

Columbia Journal of Asian Law

Columbia University Law School, 1996-present (UES). Also available in electronic form at EBSCO, WilsonWeb, HeinOnline, and Westlaw.

Morris Call Number: K3 .O4  ; Online

2002-present - UES

Morris Call Number: K6 .A2183

Frontiers of law in China : Selected publications from Chinese universities.

Morris Call Number: KNQ68 .F76 ,  Online

Journal of Contemporary China

Law Yearbook of China 中国法律年鉴

1989-1998 - LES. Also available online in ChinaLawInfo/LawInfoChina.

Morris Call Number: KNQ440 .A13 C48

Law Yearbook of China

Peking University Transnational Law Review

Peking University Transnational Law Review (Online)

Tsinghua China law review

Tsinghua China law review (Online)

China National Social Sciences Database

A government-sponsored database of journals and dissertations published and/or funded by the PRC Government.

China National Social Sciences Database(link is external)

PKUlaw (ChinaLawInfo/InfoLawChina

Duxiu 读秀, also known as Chinese Google Scholar, is a huge content-based database consisting of 800,000,000 full text pages, with very flexible searches (full-text, books, journal and newspaper articles, theses, conference proceedings, etc.). Particularly, it provides information about and, in many cases, full-text searching and/or limited previews (up to about 20 pages) of 2,600,000 Chinese books. You can then use the “图书馆文献传递” function to email to yourself 50 pages or 1/5th of the book (whichever is less) at a time. Duxiu is a useful reference tool for discovering bibliographic information; locating particular search terms within a text; and for getting a preview of a text. Results vary by the text. IE recommended.

Duxiu(link is external)

East View Chinese Academic Journals (CAJ) 中国期刊全文数据

Subscription covers usage of the full text Chinese Academic Journals Database (1994- ), Century Journals Project (1955-1993), China Master/Doctoral full-text Database (2000- ) and the Chinese Core Newspapers full-text Database (2000-). Offers easy cross-database searching. Bilingual search platform, bibliographic citations and abstracts but full-text contents in Chinese only.

East View Chinese Academic Journals (CAJ) 中国期刊全文数据库(link is external)

Wan Fang China Online Journals - COJ (万方数字化期刊   ）

Selective coverage of minor Chinese legal journals.

Wan Fang Chinese Online Journals (COJ)

SSRN Asian Law eJournal

Online . (Link is external) Portal for scholarly working papers.

China Economy, Public Policy, and Security Database (皮书数据库)

China yearbook full-text database（中國年鑑全文數據庫）.

Collects all data of population census in 2010 published by China Statistics Press, including all population data of the whole country, 31 provinces and centrally administered municipalities and 2872 units at county level. 

Shanghai-based Shen Bao (Shun Pao) was the longest-lasting newspaper in modern China. It was founded in 1872 and was closed 1949. Its full name was Shenjiang xin bao (Shenjiang New Post, also known as the Shanghai News)

Research Guides:

•   GlobaLex  Macau Special Administrative Region of People’s Republic of China Jurisdiction  (2021)
• Library of Congress Guide to Law Online: Macau

The Guide to Law Online, prepared by the Law Library of Congress Public Services Division, is an annotated guide to sources of information on government and law available online. It includes selected links to useful and reliable sites for legal information.

Laws and Legislation

• Basic Law of the Macao Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China

Adopted by the Eighth National People's Congress at its First Session on 31 March 1993.  Unofficial Translation, For Reference Only.

• Macau Government Printing Bureau

The Macau Government information portal includes the official gazettes, national and regional legislation, text of treaties and agreements of which Macau is a party, as well as government agency information.  The official languages of Macau, a Chinese Special Administrative Region, are Chinese and Portuguese. English translations of legislative texts are not readily available.  Legislation is searchable by topic and source (government agency).

Judicial Decisions

•   Tribunals da RAEM 澳門特別行政區法院 ; Search platform for judgments

In Chinese and Portuguese. PDFs available.

Secondary Sources

• Macau Business Law and Legal System  / Jorge A. F. Godinho. 2007.  
• Anotação e comentario ao Código penal de Macau : legislação complementar, jurisprudência : parte geral = 澳門刑法典註釋及評述 : 補充法例, 司法見解 : 總論 / Manuel Leal-Henriques; Formador do Centro de Formação Juridica e Judiciária; Juiz Conselheiro Jubilado do Supremo Tribunal de Justiça de Portugal. 2014.
•   Anotação e comentário ao código de processo penal de Macau / Manuel Leal-Henriques. 2013 -
•   One country, two systems, three legal orders : perspectives of evolution : essays on Macau's autonomy after the resumption of sovereignty by China / Jorge Costa Oliveira, Paulo Cardinal, editors. Springer. 2009.

Open-access sources:

• The Macau Penal Code and Other Penal Laws in English Unofficial Translation  / Jorge A.F. Gordinho. 2020.
• The Macau Commercial Code: an English unofficial translation  / [translated from Portuguese by Jorge A.F. Gordinho]. 2013.
• The Macau Civil Code - A Partial English Translation  / Jorge A. F. Godinho. 2019.

Taiwan nichinichi shinpo, daily newspaper, was published from 1898 to 1944 in Japanese along with Chinese text from 1905 to 1911. It is an official newspaper published by the Government-General of Taiwan yet one of the dispensable resources to know the condition of Taiwan for these years. The database provides both Chinese and Japanese interface.

Resources on US/UK-China Foreign Relations

Below is a list of resources useful for conducting research in U.S. and U.K. - China Foreign Relations.

U.S. – China Relations

Primary Sources:

•  China and the United States: from hostility to engagement, 1960-1998

Part of Digital National Security Archive, this collection pulls together more than 2,000 documents concerning the relationship between the United States and China, with an emphasis on the 1969-1998 time period. The documents include memos, cables, and studies concerning U.S. diplomatic relations with China, records concerning the U.S.-PRC security relationship, documents related to the economic and scientific association with the PRC, and intelligence estimates and studies concerning the PRC’s foreign policy objectives, military capabilities, and internal situation.

• Records of the National Council for United States-China Trade 1973-1983

Reproduction from the originals from the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library, this collection documents the formation of the National Council for United States-China Trade, its role in the development of U.S.-China trade, and the Council’s library holdings relating to China’s trade and economy.

•  Tiananmen Square and U.S.-China relations, 1989-1993

Reproduction of the originals from the George H.W. Bush Presidential Library, this digital collection reviews U.S.-China relations in the post-Cold War Era, and analyzes the significance of the 1989 Tiananmen Square demonstrations, China’s human rights issues, and resumption of World Bank loans to China in July 1990.

• U.S. intelligence and China: collection, analysis, and covert action / National Security Archive

This compilation of declassified documents concerning U.S. intelligence activities directed at both the People’s Republic of China and the Republic of China includes more than 2,300 documents.

• Foreign Relations of the United States: Diplomatic Papers

The Foreign Relations of the United States series is the official documentary historical record of major U.S. foreign policy decisions that have been declassified and edited for publication. 

• FRUS-Congressional Serials Set correlation list
• Congressional Serials Se t

U.K. – China Foreign Relations

• U.K. National Archives, Kew.  Foreign Office files for China, 1919-1980

The six parts of this collection make available all British Foreign Office files on China, Hong Kong and Taiwan between 1919 and 1980:

1919-1929: Kuomintang, CCP and the Third International

1930-1937: The Long March, civil war in China and the Manchurian Crisis

1938-1948: Open Door, Japanese war and the seeds of communist victory

1949-1956: The Communist revolution

1957-1966: The Great Leap Forward

1967-1980: The Cultural Revolution

The complete FO 371 and FCO 21 files from the National Archives, Kew include eye-witness accounts, weekly and monthly summaries, annual reviews, reports, newspaper articles, conference reports, economic assessments and synopses on key events, leading personalities and all major new developments relating to China during the period.

• China: trade, politics & culture, 1793-1980

The collection “China : trade, politics & culture, 1793-1980 : sources from the School of Oriental and African Studies and the British Library, London” contains a wide range of materials documenting western interaction with China from the first embassy by Lord MaCartney to trade negotiations in the 1970s. 

• China Diplomatic History/Foreign Relations Primary Sources Guide at Yale University Library Manuscripts and Archives
• Encyclopedia of Chinese-American relations
• Columbia International Affairs Online

Columbia International Affairs Online (CIAO) publishes a wide range of scholarship from 1991 on including working papers from university research institutes, occasional papers series from NGOs, foundation-funded research projects, and proceedings from conferences.

·         PAIS International

The PAIS International database contains references to more than 460,000 journal articles, books, government documents, statistical directories, grey literature, research reports, conference reports, publications of international agencies, microfiche, Internet material, and more.

Open-Access Resources:

• U.S. Department of State : Office of the Historian- The office maintains a  Guide To The United States’ History Of Recognition, Diplomatic, And Consular Relations, By Country, Since 1776: China
• Hearings ; also available in  Proquest Congressional
• Roundtables
• U.S.-China Security Review Commission. Annual Report  (Print); Annual Report (Online) ; Hearings (Online)
• CRS Reports: U. North Texas ; EveryCRSreport.com ; Federation of American Scientists CRS reports ; Archive-it ; USC-US-China Institute ; Congress.gov
• Council on Foreign Relations : Publications

Newspaper Sources 

• Proquest Historical Newspapers
• Proquest News and Newspapers
• The Wire China
• World News Connection  (archive of daily press dispatches released internationally from November 1995 through December 2013 and translated into English by the U.S. Government)
• Quan guo bao kan suo yin  全国报刊索引 
• China Core Newspapers  中国重要报纸全文数据库
• South China Morning Post: Online ; SCMP.com; Historical

Subject Headings for searching in  Morris ,  Orbis , QuickSearch and  WorldCat :

China—Foreign Relations—United States

United States—Foreign Relations–China

Online Guide for Law Students: Law Reports

• Course Readings - Term 2
• Course Readings - Term S
• Exam Papers
• Law Reports
• Search Skills
• Dissertations
• Current Awareness

Types of Case Reports

All court decisions are unreported cases initially. Important decisions that contain significant points of law will be selected for publication in law reports. 

Authorised reports contain cases that the court has seen the final version and approved the publication. The two  authorised reports in Hong Kong are the 'Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal Reports' (HKCFAR) and the 'Hong Kong Law Reports and Digest' (HKLRD). 

An authoised report should always be cited in preference.  Unreported cases should only be cited if there is no reported version available.

Steps to Locate a Law Report

Suppose you need to locate the following case in Hong Kong. You can follow the steps below to locate the law report and read the case:

Step 1: Check the Full Report Name HKLR is an abbreviated name of a law report. We can visit Cardiff Index to Legal Abbreviations to check the full report name:

Step 2: Search the Law Report in LibrarySearch by its Full Name Input the full report name in LibrarySearch  and make a search, it will show the database link under View it section on the result page.

Step 3: Search the case in the law report Search the case with party name(s) or citation in the law report, and then click on the citation to read the case.

Alternatively, you can also visit  this page  as a quick reference to locate different law reports.

Cardiff Index to Legal Abbreviation

A comprehensive list of legal abbreviations used in law reports, law journals, and other legal publications. 

• Cardiff Index to Legal Abbreviations

Video: How to Find a Case Law

• Reported Cases
• Unreported Cases

Square Brackets or Round Brackets?

What is a Neutral Citation?

A neutral citation is a unique identifier assigned to a case by the court, which includes the year of judgement, a court identifier, and a unique serial number.

It provides consistent reference to the case that is independent of the traditional law report publishers.  This simplifies the process of locating and citing cases, especially for unreported cases.

The HKSAR Judiciary implemented neutral citations for all Hong Kong judgments since 2018 (see  Practice Direction 5.5 ).

Lee Quo Wei Law Library T  3943 8641 E   [email protected]

Legal Resources Centre (LRC) T 3943 0927 E   [email protected]

Holiday Opening Hours of Law Library and LRC

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This collection contains legal information from across Southeast Asia, providing extensive coverage of Malaysia, Singapore and Hong Kong. This unique collection of content contains hundreds of thousands of cases from the respective countries’ superior, appellate and specialist courts. With over 400,000 legal documents, cases, and secondary materials, this collection is enriched with cross-jurisdictional links to coverage from around the world.

Singapore Academy Collection

This collection provides a fortnightly report of all significant cases heard in the Singapore Court of Appeal, High Court, and Constitutional Tribunal, selected by the Council of Law Reporting, alongside the Singapore Academy of Law Annual Review (2000 onwards), and the Singapore Academy of Law Journal (1989 onwards). The database includes a reissue from 1965 to 2009, with new headnotes and catchwords.

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Increase in applications received for Hong Kong’s new Capital Investment Entrant Scheme - what it means for employers

The Government launched the new Capital Investment Entrant Scheme (new “CIES”) earlier this year, in line with its ongoing efforts to revitalise Hong Kong’s economy.

By the end of June, the new CIES had already received over 3,700 enquiries and 339 applications, with 88 of those applications receiving approval-in-principle and 3 applications receiving formal approval.

This article provides a summary of the new CIES and highlight what it means for employers.

What is “CIES”?

The CIES is an investment-migration programme and was first introduced as a stimulus measure in 2003 when Hong Kong’s economy was in a recession but it was suspended in January 2015.

As part of the 2023-2024 Budget, the Government announced a series of measures, including a revamped CIES, to revitalise Hong Kong’s economy.

Under the new CIES, high-net-worth individuals can obtain residency together with their dependants, including spouses and unmarried children under 18, by making a minimum investment of HK$30 million in permissible investment assets.

Overview of the new CIES

The new CIES accepts applications from eligible persons aged 18 or above, including foreign nationals, Chinese nationals with permanent resident status in a foreign country, residents of Macau and Chinese residents of Taiwan.

Applicants must demonstrate that they have net assets of at least HK$30 million (or equivalent in foreign currencies) to which they are the absolute beneficiaries throughout the 2 years preceding the application.

Applicants must then invest at least HK$30 million in permissible investment assets. Of the HK$30 million minimum investment threshold, at least HK$27 million must be invested in permissible financial assets and non-residential real estate, and at least HK$3 million must be placed into a dedicated CIES Investment Portfolio.

Successful applicants and their dependants who have maintained continuous ordinary residence in Hong Kong of at least 7 years and meet other requirements may apply to become Hong Kong permanent residents. Applicants who are unable to fulfil the continuous ordinary residence requirement may still be eligible to apply for unconditional stay in Hong Kong after 7 years. After successfully becoming a Hong Kong permanent resident or obtaining an unconditional stay, the applicant will be free to dispose of the Permissible investment assets under the new CIES subject to the terms and conditions of the underlying investments.

The financial eligibility of applicants under the new CIES is assessed by Invest Hong Kong, while entry, visa and residence applications pursuant to the new CIES are handled by the Immigration Department.

What the new CIES means for employers

Employers should take note of the new CIES as holders of a visa issued under the new CIES have the right to work in Hong Kong and do not need to apply for a separate employment visa sponsored by the employer.

Also, since the new CIES provides another pathway for residency, this should open up a wider and more diversified pool of top-quality candidates for employers to choose from.

Employers who are looking to recruit or relocate talent from abroad to Hong Kong in very senior / high-income positions with remuneration packages that meet the financial thresholds of the new CIES may share details of the new CIES with candidates as this may increase the attractiveness of the job opportunity / relocating to Hong Kong given the potential for the individual and his/her family to obtain permanent residence in Hong Kong.

Key takeaways

The new CIES is expected to attract more top-talent to Hong Kong. This will benefit employers with their recruitment and staffing needs, giving them a larger and more diversified pool of top talent to choose from, and could also serve to incentivise and retain existing employees who may be interested in secondment opportunities or settling in Hong Kong.

Lewis Silkin is a leading law firm with offices in London, Oxford, Cardiff, Manchester, Leeds, Belfast, Dublin and Hong Kong. We are lawyers with a passion for creative, tech and innovative businesses: this passion runs through everything we do. Whatever the size of your idea or your business, from entrepreneurial start-ups to global household names, we leverage the market leading expertise across our Brands, Corporate, Commercial, Data, Privacy & Cyber, Dispute Resolution, Employment, Immigration, Intellectual Property and Real Estate practices to ensure we have you covered. Learn more at  www.lewissilkin.com  and subscribe to our  mailing lists  to receive tailored news, updated, and events aligned with your interests.  

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Hong kong amends policy on changing gender marker on id cards *, older workers as a solution to talent shortage: hong kong labour department launches re-employment allowance pilot scheme to “unleash potential” of elderly and middle-aged workforce *, hong kong’s mpf authority launches e-platform to simplify mpf administration for employers and employees *, hong kong rolls out new statutory minimum wage review mechanism *, termination during illness: a recent case of a foreign domestic worker’s discrimination claims *.

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Former mother-in-law of slain Hong Kong socialite Abby Choi denies hindering police

Jenny li, 64, pleads not guilty and secures hk$200,000 bail, with trial set for june next year..

The former mother-in-law of slain Hong Kong socialite Abby Choi Tin-fung has denied perverting the course of justice by hindering a police investigation in a 2015 theft case involving the model’s then husband.

The District Court on Thursday recorded a not-guilty plea from Jenny Li Sui-heung nearly four months after the 64-year-old secured a HK$200,000 (US$25,600) bail in relation to the case.

The court heard the defence would dispute the reliability of nine prosecution witnesses, including seven police officers, as well as the content of security footage seized from a Tai Po village house during an investigation into Choi’s murder in February last year. The defence said Li also took issue with the admissibility of certain evidence.

Chief District Judge Justin Ko King-sau listed the trial for early June next year after rejecting a defence request to postpone the case by four months to accommodate the schedule of Li’s leading counsel.

Ko noted the major contention centred on the correct interpretation of the CCTV footage, which did not involve any specialist knowledge or require a specific lawyer to handle.

'Hong Kong 47': Court wraps up mitigation hearing in city’s largest national security case

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• Jailed activist says still hopes for democratic HK government
• Judges reject witness request for social service as 'unreasonable'

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Reporting by Jessie Pang; Editing by Michael Perry

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Jessie Pang joined Reuters in 2019 after an internship. She covers Hong Kong with a focus on politics and general news.

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A Hong Kong court convicts 2 journalists in a landmark sedition case

Former chief editor Chung Pui-kuen, right, and former acting editor Patrick Lam, left, of the now-defunct independent media outlet Stand News leave the court on the last day of the publication’s sedition trial closing statements in Hong Kong, June 28, 2023. (AP Photo/Louise Delmotte, File)

Chung Pui-kuen, the former chief editor of Hong Kong’s now shuttered pro-democracy news outlet Stand News, arrivies at the Wanchai District Court ahead of a verdict in a landmark sedition trial in Hong Kong on Thursday, Aug. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Billy H.C. Kwok)

Foreign diplomats arrive at the district court ahead of the verdict on Chung Pui-kuen, the ex-chief editor of the now shuttered Stand News online outlet and his colleague Patrick Lam, former acting chief editor, in Hong Kong on Thursday, Aug. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Billy H.C. Kwok)

Chung Pui-kuen, the former chief editor of Hong Kong’s now-shuttered outlet Stand News, walks outside on bail after he was found guilty in a landmark sedition trial under a colonial-era law, in Wanchai District Court in Hong Kong on Thursday, Aug. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Billy H.C. Kwok)

FILE - Chung Pui-kuen, second left, former chief editor and Patrick Lam, left, former acting editor of the now-defunct independent media outlet Stand News leave the court on the last day of the publication’s sedition trial closing statements, in Hong Kong, Wednesday, June 28, 2023. (AP Photo/Louise Delmotte, File)

FILE - A worker carrying some containers walks past police officers during a raid on the office of Stand News during a raid in Hong Kong, Dec. 29, 2021. (AP Photo/Vincent Yu, File)

Member of the media wait outside the district court ahead of the verdict on Chung Pui-kuen, the ex-chief editor of the now shuttered Stand News online outlet and his colleague Patrick Lam, former acting chief editor, in Hong Kong on Thursday, Aug. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Billy H.C. Kwok)

FILE - Former chief editor Chung Pui-kuen, right, and former acting editor Patrick Lam, left, of the now-defunct independent media outlet Stand News leave the court on the last day of the publication’s sedition trial closing statements in Hong Kong, June 28, 2023. (AP Photo/Louise Delmotte, File)

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HONG KONG (AP) — A Hong Kong court on Thursday convicted two former editors of a shuttered news outlet in a sedition case widely seen as a barometer for the future of media freedoms in a city once hailed as a bastion of free press in Asia.

The trial of Stand News former editor-in-chief Chung Pui-kuen and former acting editor-in-chief Patrick Lam was Hong Kong’s first involving the media since the former British colony returned to Chinese rule in 1997.

Stand News, which closed in December 2021, had been one of the city’s last media outlets that openly criticized the government as it waged a crackdown on dissent following massive pro-democracy protests in 2019.

It was shut down just months after the pro-democracy Apple Daily newspaper , whose jailed founder Jimmy Lai is fighting collusion charges under a sweeping national security law enacted in 2020.

Chung and Lam had pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to publish and reproduce seditious publications — charges that were brought under a colonial-era sedition law used increasingly to crush dissidents. They face up to two years in prison and a fine of 5,000 Hong Kong dollars (about $640) for a first offense.

Best Pencil (Hong Kong) Ltd., the outlet’s holding company, was convicted on the same charge. It had no representatives during the trial, which began in October 2022 .

Judge Kwok Wai-kin said in his written judgment that Stand News became a tool for smearing the Beijing and Hong Kong governments during the 2019 protests.

He said a conviction is deemed proportional “when speech, in the relevant context, is deemed to have caused potential damage to national security and intends to seriously undermine the authority of the Chinese central government or the Hong Kong government, and that it must be stopped.”

The case was centered on 17 articles Stand News had published. Prosecutors said some promoted “illegal ideologies,” or smeared the security law and law enforcement officers. Judge Kwok ruled that 11 carried seditious intent, including commentaries written by activist Nathan Law and esteemed journalists Allan Au and Chan Pui-man. Chan is also Chung’s wife.

The judge found that the other six did not carry seditious intent, including in interviews with pro-democracy ex-lawmakers Law and Ted Hui, who are among overseas-based activists targeted by Hong Kong police bounties .

Chung appeared calm after the verdict while Lam did not appear in court due to health reasons. They were given bail pending sentencing on Sept. 26.

Defense lawyer Audrey Eu read out a mitigation statement from Lam, who said Stand News reporters sought to run a news outlet with fully independent editorial standards. “The only way for journalists to defend press freedom is reporting,” Eu quoted Lam as saying.

A worker carrying some containers walks past police officers during a raid on the office of Stand News during a raid in Hong Kong, Dec. 29, 2021. (AP Photo/Vincent Yu, File)

Eu did not read out Chung’s mitigation letter in court. But local media outlets quoted his letter, in which he wrote that many Hong Kongers who are not journalists have held to their beliefs, and some have lost their own freedom because they care about everyone’s freedom in the community.

“Accurately recording and reporting their stories and thoughts is an inescapable responsibility of journalists,” he wrote in that letter.

After the verdict, former Stand News journalist Ronson Chan said nobody had told reporters that they might be arrested if they did any interviews or write anything.

The delivery of the verdict was delayed several times for various reasons, including awaiting the appeal outcome of another landmark sedition case . Dozens of residents and reporters lined up to secure a seat for the hearing.

Protesters from Hong Kong in Taiwan and local supporters hold slogans reading “Protest Against Totalitarian Liquidation of Stand News” and " Support Press Freedom in Hong Kong” to protest outside of the Bank of China in Taipei, Taiwan, Dec. 30, 2021. (AP Photo/Chiang Ying-ying, File)

Resident Kevin Ng, who was among the first in the line, said he used to be a reader of Stand News and has been following the trial. Ng, 28, said he read less news after its shutdown, feeling the city has lost some critical voices.

“They reported the truth, they defended press freedom,” Ng, who works in risk management industry, said of the editors.

Stand News shut down following a police raid at its office and the arrests of its leaders. Armed with a warrant to seize relevant journalistic materials, more than 200 officers participated in the operation.

Days after Stand News shut down, independent news outlet Citizen News also announced it would cease operations, citing the deteriorating media environment and the potential risks to its staff.

Hong Kong was ranked 135 out of 180 territories in Reporters Without Borders’ latest World Press Freedom Index, down from 80 in 2021. Self-censorship has also become more prominent during the political crackdown on dissent. In March, the city government enacted another new security law that raised concerns it could further curtail press freedom .

Francis Lee, journalism and communication professor at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, said the ruling on which articles were seditious appears to be drawing lines. Whenever an article is about a one-sided political stance, highly critical or viewed as lacking factual basis, then that could be considered as smearing, Lee said.

Some of the court’s logic differs from how journalists typically think, he said. Journalists “may have to be more cautious from now on.”

Eric Lai, a research fellow at Georgetown Center for Asian Law, said the ruling is in line with “the anti-free-speech trend” of rulings since the 2020 security law took effect, criminalizing journalists carrying out their professional duties.

Foreign governments criticized the convictions . U.S. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller wrote on X that it was a “direct attack on media freedom.”

However, Eric Chan, Hong Kong’s Chief Secretary for Administration, insisted that when journalists conduct their reporting based on facts, there would not be any restrictions on such freedom.

Steve Li, chief superintendent of the police national security department, told reporters the ruling showed their enforcement three years ago — criticized by some as a suppression of free press — was necessary.

7th China-AALCO Exchange and Research Programme (CAERP)

7 th China-AALCO Exchange and Research Programme (CAERP) held in Hong Kong SAR, People's Republic of China

The 7 th China AALCO-Exchange and Research Programme (CAERP) was successfully held from 30 June-6 July 2024 in Hong Kong SAR, People’s Republic of China. The training session was jointly organized by the Department of Treaty and Law, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China and the Asian-Academy of International Law (AAIL). Dr. Kamalinne Pinitpuvadol, Secretary-General, AALCO delivered the Inaugural Address for the event. Over the course of one week close to three dozen delegates from AALCO Member States and non-Member States participated in the intensive training programme, which covered a range of topics including Arbitration, Mediation, Peaceful Settlement of Disputes, Air and Space Law, the law and ethics of Artificial Intelligence and the role of Hong Kong as a centre of alternative dispute settlement among others. The programme saw distinguished resource persons like Ms. Teresa Cheng, Founding Member and Co-Chairperson, Asian Academy of International Law, Mr. Anthony Neo, Co-Chairman, Asian-Academy of International Law, Mr. Adrian Lai, Deputy Secretary-General and Co-Convenor of the Advisory Board, Asian Academy of International Law, Prof. Zhao Yun, Professor and Head of Department of Law, The University of Hong Kong, Mr. Nick Chan and Mr. Dennis Cai, Director and Deputy-Director of the AALCO Hong Kong Regional Arbitration Centre deliver lectures to the delegates.  The delegates also visited the Independent Commission against Corruption, Hong Kong SAR, the Department of Justice of the Hong Kong SAR and the Court of Final Appeal of the Hong Kong SAR as part of the programme. Mr. Abraham Joseph, Legal Officer represented the AALCO Secretariat in the Programme. 

The Programme covered themes that highlighted the importance of alternative dispute settlement mechanisms especially arbitration and mediation with a focus on emerging dimensions of international legal cooperation in matters of interest to the Afro-Asian community. The role of AALCO as a consultative body on international law was widely appreciated by the panellists who noted its immense potential in strengthening solidarity between the continents of Asia and Africa. The Closing Ceremony of the 7 th CAERP was held at the Commissioner’s Office of China’s Foreign Ministry in the Hong Kong SAR on 6 July 2024.

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