Hong Kong has been back on the international stage, Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) John Lee Ka-chiu said following a series of international events that resumed in the global financial hub recently.
Lee addressed the opening ceremony of the Hong Kong Legal Week 2022, the annual flagship event of the Department of Justice (DoJ), which kicked off on Monday through a video link and mentioned the preparatory office for the establishment of the International Organization for Mediation Preparatory Office to be set up in Hong Kong, media reported on Monday.
According to Lee, both the Global Financial Leaders' Investment Summit held in Hong Kong last week, and the legal summit participated by legal professionals from international institutions to be held this week show that the participants cast a vote of confidence in Hong Kong's adherence to the rule of law under the principle of One Country, Two Systems.
Meanwhile, the message of Hong Kong's return to the world stage is clear as Hong Kong's legal talents are expected to provide the world with professional services in business, arbitration, finance, shipping and technology.
Lee made similar remarks the previous day after attending the Hong Kong Sevens, the city's iconic rugby tournament held between November 4 and 6, after a pause of more than three years since 2019 due to the COVID-19 epidemic.
Firmly established as the world's premier event of its kind and one of the most popular annual sporting events in Asia, the Hong Kong Sevens attracts some of the world's greatest rugby players and thousands of fans from every corner of the globe to the magnificent Hong Kong Stadium every year.
According to the event organizer, about 21,000 spectators watched the final on Sunday with the total audience expected to exceed 65,000 during the three-day event, local media reported on Sunday.
"It is living proof that Hong Kong is back on the global stage again. HK has ushered in a new chapter. The Pearl of the Orient is shining brighter than ever," Lee wrote on his social media account.