Hong Kong judiciary delegation visits Beijing

BEIJING - A judiciary delegation from China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) concluded its four-day visit to Beijing Friday.

The delegation, led by Andrew Cheung Kui-nung, chief justice of the Court of Final Appeal of the HKSAR, has been in Beijing at the invitation of Zhou Qiang, chief justice and president of the Supreme People's Court (SPC).

Members of the delegation visited the National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, the SPC, the Supreme People's Procuratorate, the Ministry of Justice, as well as the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council. They also visited the SPC intellectual property court and the Beijing Internet Court.

During their visit, the delegation members engaged in discussions with their mainland peers on professional issues.

The SPC will support the exchanges between mainland courts and the HKSAR judiciary, Zhou said while meeting with the delegation, adding that he expects the HKSAR judiciary to thoroughly and accurately implement the Constitution, HKSAR Basic Law and the national security law for the HKSAR, and to comprehensively implement the "patriots administering Hong Kong" principle.

Yang Zhenwu, secretary-general of the NPC Standing Committee, also met with the delegation and briefed the members about the country's system of people's congresses and about relevant decisions and legislative efforts by the NPC and its Standing Committee on major Hong Kong-related issues. They also discussed issues concerning relevant systems and mechanisms related to the Basic Law.

It was Cheung's first visit to Beijing since he assumed office as the chief justice of the SAR's Court of Final Appeal in January.

He said the visit enhanced the SAR judiciary's understanding of the country, noting that he will lead the SAR's judicial authority to perform its duties and safeguard the constitutional order in the HKSAR as prescribed by the Constitution and the Basic Law.