The Hong Kong Bar Association will travel to Beijing next week to meet mainland Chinese officials, becoming the first delegation to visit the capital since the city’s deadliest fire in decades and its recent Legislative Council election.
Chairman Jose-Antonio Maurellet told the Post on Wednesday that the delegation would be happy to discuss possible legal reforms brought by the deadly Tai Po fire with central government authorities, including the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office (HKMAO), Beijing’s top office overseeing the city.
“If those we meet are interested in legal issues which arise from, say, law reforms in terms of building management or safety … we will be sharing what the bar has done and can do at this very difficult time,” he said.
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“Our aim is to continue the tradition where we reflect the views of our barristers and the legal profession directly to the central government.”
The delegation, comprising about 15 members of varying seniority and legal specialisations, will visit Beijing from Monday to Thursday.
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Maurellet, a corporate law specialist with Des Voeux Chambers, will lead the annual visit for the first time since being elected in January to chair the body representing nearly 1,800 barristers in the city.
He said the delegation was expected to meet the Basic Law Committee under the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, the country’s top legislature, the Ministry of Justice and the HKMAO.