What is the legal environment like in Hong Kong?
What is the legal environment like in Hong Kong?
- Noted for its transparency, law and order is central to Hong Kong’s success.
- All are considered equal before the law.
- Hong Kong’s legal system is separate from Mainland China’s, and English common law prevails.
- With the establishment of the International Arbitration Centre in 1985, Hong Kong has become a key centre for arbitration in Asia and arbitration is now a popular method of dispute resolution in Hong Kong.
- The law is committed to the protection of Intellectual Property Right (IPR) and enforces stringent regulations for patents, copyrights, trademarks and registered designs. The specially set up Intellectual Property Department monitors the IP regime in Hong Kong and is reputed to have extensive experience in handling IP matters.
- There are distinct rules and regulations concerning trade and commerce, employment, taxation and other business-related areas, making it an attractive place to setup and operate a business.
- Clean Governance – Hong Kong is a Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China with a high degree of autonomy in all matters except foreign and defense affairs.
- According to the Sino-British Joint Declaration (1984) and the Basic Law, Hong Kong retains its political, economic, and judicial systems. This setup is often referred to as “One China, Two Systems”. Most businesses choose to set up operations in Hong Kong as it believed to be politically stable with a pro-business governance and free market.