Following are the remarks by the Deputy Secretary for Justice, Dr Cheung Kwok-kwan, at a media session on the Funding Scheme for LawTech Solution Subscription by the Hong Kong Legal Sector during the LawTech Forum of the Hong Kong L… read more
Following are the remarks by the Secretary for Security, Mr Tang Ping-keung, at a media session after the Fight Crime Committee meeting at the Central Government Offices, Tamar today (November 5):
Reporter: What do you make of the sentencing of Joshua Wong, and what are your thoughts towards comments made by overseas governments as well as groups towards Joshua Wong’s sentencing?
Secretary for Security: Regarding the case concerning Wong Chi-fung involving the offence of “conspiracy to commit collusion with foreign countries or with external elements to endanger national security”, following his earlier guilty plea, the Court of First Instance of the High Court delivered the sentence this morning. Wong was sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment, and the court ruled that the case fell within the category of an offence of a “grave nature” and warrants severe punishment.
Wong, together with Law Kwun-chung, who has been specified as an absconder, and their accomplices are among the primary culprits responsible for undermining Hong Kong’s prosperity and stability. They began by obstructing the Government’s effort to promote national education in an attempt to weaken national identity. Wong, in particular, has repeatedly broken the law, including illegal assemblies and contempt of court, demonstrating his complete disregard for the rule of law.
Since before the implementation of the HKNSL (Hong Kong National Security Law), Wong and others colluded with foreign or external forces, actively lobbied the United States to pass so-called legislation concerning Hong Kong, and openly solicited foreign sanctions.
Following the enactment of the HKNSL, they continued to conspire and collude with external forces. The reasons for sentence handed down by the court ruled that the offence in this case was of a “grave nature”, and pointed out that at the material time, Hong Kong was confronted with social turmoil and the serious effects of riots, and was facing very high risks to national security and the rule of law. They had direct engagement with top or senior officials of foreign countries, and continued to promote the calls for sanctions through their own social media accounts and via prominent news media or outlets in the West, reaching both local and international audiences.
The court remarked that Wong Chi-fung and Law Kwun-chung were the masterminds of the case, and they advocated at the forefront, calling for foreign countries to impose sanctions and hostile measures. After the implementation of the HKNSL, they persisted in acts endangering national security and deliberately adapted their respective roles, yet their roles were equally crucial. They indeed contributed to the imposition of sanctions and hostile measures by foreign countries, and such sanctions and measures significantly impacted upon and endangered national security.
The Court also said that it is necessary to express the community’s contempt for the defendant’s scheme and acts, together with others, to collude with foreign forces, and to serve the imperative of deterrence.
I note that since the sentence of Wong, external forces have launched malicious attacks and smears regarding the present case. Those launching attacks against us are exactly the same external forces that Wong Chi-fung and Law Kwun-chung attempted to collude with, whom they beg for mercy and lean on that day. They must be strongly condemned, and Hong Kong citizens must recognise and acknowledge that clearly.
In fact, Wong pleaded guilty, and Wong was sentenced through fair and open judicial proceedings and fully demonstrated the rule of law that the courts of the HKSAR (Hong Kong Special Administrative Region) have consistently upheld. It is the constitutional duty of the HKSAR Government to safeguard national security, and the Government is determined and will continue to resolutely combat those actions that endanger national security.
Regarding the sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment, in fact, the court has confirmed that it’s a category of an offence of a “grave nature”, and a sentence of 10 years has reflected the severe nature of that act. We will discuss with the Department of Justice to see if there’s any need for a review of the sentence. Thank you.
(Please also refer to the Chinese portion of the remarks.) read more
The ninth China International Import Expo (CIIE) is being held from today (November 5) to November 10 at the National Exhibition and Convention Center in Shanghai. The Chief Executive, Mr John Lee, attended the CIIE and the Hongqiao International Economic Forum (Hongqiao Forum) and their related events today.
The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government is involved in organising various events and led a record high of over 400 Hong Kong enterprises from various industries to participate in this year’s CIIE to promote quality Hong Kong products and services, deepening international exchanges and co-operation, and telling the good stories of China and Hong Kong.
In the morning, Mr Lee attended the opening ceremony of the CIIE and the Hongqiao Forum. Later, Mr Lee accompanied Vice Premier of the State Council Mr Ding Xuexiang in touring the Hong Kong Exhibition Area at the China Pavilion. Under the theme “Connectivity and Enterprise”, the Hong Kong Exhibition Area showcased Hong Kong’s continuous commitment to capitalising on its role as a bridge linking the country and the world, and Hong Kong’s advantage of ranking among the world’s top in multiple areas.
Mr Lee attended the Hong Kong Parallel Session under the Hongqiao Forum in the afternoon. The Parallel Session was jointly organised by the HKSAR Government and the Ministry of Commerce. Mr Lee and the Minister of Commerce, Mr Wang Wentao, delivered remarks at the opening session and Vice Minister of Commerce Mr Yan Dong attended the Parallel Session. Under the theme “Aligning with the National 15th Five-Year Plan, Serving the National Development, and Seizing New Opportunities for Hong Kong”, the Parallel Session attracted around 400 participants. Speaking at the Parallel Session, Mr Lee said that this was the first large-scale briefing session held at an international forum since the HKSAR Government announced Hong Kong’s First Five-Year Plan, showcasing to the world Hong Kong’s unique advantages of being strongly supported by the motherland and closely connected to the world under the “one country, two systems” principle. Hong Kong will play its role as a “super connector” and “super value-adder”, strengthen the development of the “four centres and one hub”, and consolidate and enhance its status as an international financial, shipping, and trade centre. At the same time, Hong Kong will go full steam ahead with the development of the Northern Metropolis, developing it into an international hub for high-calibre talent and a new engine to foster new quality productive forces, contributing Hong Kong’s strength to better integrate into and serve the building of a great country.
After the Hong Kong Parallel Session, Mr Lee, accompanied by the Under Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Dr Bernard Chan, and the Chairman of the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), Professor Frederick Ma, visited the Enterprise and Business Exhibition and showed support to Hong Kong enterprises at the Hong Kong Food Pavilion and Hong Kong Services Pavilion set up by the HKTDC. Covering an area of over 1 600 square metres, the two pavilions featured 71 Hong Kong enterprises, with over 60 per cent exhibiting for the first time, showcasing quality Hong Kong products and services across food, innovation and technology (I&T), finance, professional services, logistics and transportation, etc. The two pavilions fully demonstrated the competitiveness of Hong Kong enterprises and brands, and how Hong Kong, by leveraging its advantages in I&T, facilitated the effective connection of Mainland and international markets through quality products and services, thereby showcasing Hong Kong’s role as a two-way platform for attracting foreign investment and for enterprises to go global.
Invest Hong Kong also set up a booth at the Hong Kong Services Pavilion to highlight Hong Kong’s advantages as a platform for enterprises going global and the comprehensive support services provided by the Task Force on Supporting Mainland Enterprises in Going Global. The exhibition area of the Hong Kong Tourism Board showcased the latest tourism features of Hong Kong, demonstrating the vitality of Hong Kong as an international tourism hub.
In the evening, Mr Lee hosted a networking dinner, exchanging views with political and business leaders from Hong Kong and the Mainland. He promoted Hong Kong’s high-level professional services and I&T, and encouraged Mainland enterprises to use Hong Kong to go global and expand their overseas markets, jointly seize the new opportunities during the 15th Five-Year Plan period and contribute to the high-quality development of the country and Hong Kong.
Mr Lee will continue his visit to Shanghai tomorrow (November 6) and return to Hong Kong after meeting with officials of Shanghai.
The Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) today (November 5) released the fifth batch of gravidtrap indexes and density indexes for Aedes albopictus in October, covering 17 survey areas, as follows:
| District | Survey Area | October 2026 | |
| Area Gravidtrap Index | Area Density Index | ||
| Central and Western | Sheung Wan and Sai Ying Pun | 3.6% | 1.0 |
| Wan Chai | Happy Valley and Tai Hang | 1.7% | 2.0 |
| Kwun Tong | Kwun Tong Central | 0.0% | N/A |
| Mong Kok | Mong Kok and Tai Kok Tsui | 0.0% | N/A |
| Sham Shui Po | Cheung Sha Wan | 7.5% | 1.6 |
| Sham Shui Po and Shek Kip Mei | 4.2% | 2.2 | |
| Wong Tai Sin | Ngau Chi Wan and San Po Kong | 3.9% | 1.0 |
| Yau Tsim | Tsim Sha Tsui and Yau Ma Tei | 0.0% | N/A |
| North | Sheung Shui | 4.9% | 1.0 |
| Sai Kung | Tseung Kwan O North | 4.7% | 1.0 |
| Sha Tin | Ma On Shan | 8.8% | 1.0 |
| Tai Wai | 0.0% | N/A | |
| Tai Po | Tai Po West | 4.3% | 1.0 |
| Kwai Tsing | Kwai Chung West | 4.4% | 1.0 |
| Tsuen Wan | Ma Wan and Sham Tseng | 2.8% | 1.0 |
| Tuen Mun | Tuen Mun North | 3.1% | 1.0 |
| Yuen Long | Yuen Long Town | 3.4% | 1.0 |
Following are the closing remarks by the Deputy Secretary for Justice, Dr Cheung Kwok-kwan, at Hong Kong Legal Week 2026: LawTech Forum today (November 5):
Carmen, the Honourable Chairlady, (Chairman of the Legislative Council (LegCo) Panel on Administration of Justice and Legal Services (AJLS Panel), Ms Carmen Kan), Maggie (Member of the LegCo AJLS Panel, Ms Maggie Chan), and Dennis (Member of the LegCo AJLS Panel, Mr Dennis Leung), the Honourable Members of the LegCo AJLS Panel, ladies and gentlemen,
Good afternoon and thank you for joining us at the LawTech Forum today.
Today we have brought together an exceptional range of participants, LegCo members, AI governance experts, private practitioners, in-house counsel, barristers, arbitrators, academics, and law students, to examine one of the defining questions of our time for the legal profession – how we can embrace lawtech including AI with confidence while keeping human judgment and professional integrity at the core.
The theme of this Forum, “Human in the Loop, Integrity at the Core”, says it all. Over the course of this afternoon, our discussions have shown both the scale of the opportunities before us and the clarity of the principles by which we should seize them.
Three key messages
I would summarise three key important messages. First, AI is no longer a speculative horizon. It is already embedded in our daily work. Experts in our panel session helpfully shared that how they are deploying lawtech tools for legal research, correspondence drafting, translation and document review, etc. The efficiency gains are real and widely acknowledged, routine tasks are being compressed, and time is being freed for higher-value and more human-centric work, like strategic planning and client engagement.
Second, we observe from the most constructive thematic sharing that regulatory frameworks governing AI may differ across the world, but the underlying concerns are common: confidentiality, accountability, bias and transparency, and the need for human oversight. Indeed, integrity is the fundamental common ground. AI governance with integrity means when AI moves from speaking to acting to deciding, its outputs should be verified, its reasoning and actions traced, its decisions reviewed and a named person held responsible.
This message is echoed in the insightful discussion in our panel session, which has made clear that efficiency without integrity is a false economy. Practical implementation aligns with regulatory concerns, identifying real and persistent risks on the ground: data privacy, privilege and confidentiality breaches; inaccuracies, biases, and hallucinations; insufficient governance frameworks; as well as the risk of over-reliance on automated outputs. These are genuine issues our profession is facing.
The third takeaway, for me, is the most encouraging one. Our legal profession is proactively responding to these challenges. We have heard from our esteemed panelists their active input for professional guidance, for regular best-practice reviews, for capacity building and training from classrooms in law schools to law firms and board rooms, and for a culture of critical and responsible oversight.
And that, fundamentally, is what “human in the loop” means in practice. Despites its enormous benefits, lawtech cannot displace the distinctly human qualities and attributes of empathy, judgment, and integrity lying at the heart of legal practice. Lawyers ourselves remain accountable. We are the ones who sign off. We are the ones who owe a duty to the client and to the court.
LawTech Fest
This Forum is, of course, only one element of the Hong Kong LawTech Fest, which continues alongside the Hong Kong Legal Week. I would encourage members of our profession, law students and other stakeholders to take full advantages of what else is on offer. The LawTech Exhibition is running until tomorrow. It features 15 lawtech service providers showcasing their latest solutions across legal research, automated review and data analysis, workflow management, document drafting and hearing support.
Alongside the Exhibition, the Insight Stage offers a series of interactive workshops with live demonstrations and real-time dialogue, an opportunity to see these tools in action and to further explore their capabilities and their limitations. I would encourage you to engage with the service providers, learn from them, and to challenge them with questions like in what way things could go wrong and how best to tackle the same.
The LawTech Fest is designed to help you take your next steps in adopting lawtech tools with greater confidence – whether you are from the solicitor’s branch or barristers’, in private practice or in-house, handling transactional work or dispute resolution.
Funding scheme
I would also take the opportunity to share the latest initiatives of the Department of Justice (DoJ). We launched a funding scheme (Funding Scheme for LawTech Solution Subscription by the Hong Kong Legal Sector) to support the legal sector in adopting lawtech this Tuesday. This is our direct response to the observations and comments we have gained from practitioners, academics and service providers during our five rounds of LexGoTech Roundtables held since the second quarter last year. The takeaway for us is clear. The cost of entry for relevant lawtech tools is a real hurdle felt most significantly by small and medium-sized law firms and junior barristers.
The funding scheme is precisely for this group of our legal profession. SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) firms account for 88 per cent of all Hong Kong law firms whilst junior barristers with seven years of call or below amounting to one-third. Our scheme will help relieve their financial burden, thereby encouraging them to adopt lawtech tools to enhance competitiveness.
With support of the two legal professional bodies as well as the DoJ’s Consultation Group on LawTech Development, we have devised a list of designated lawtech service providers for the purpose of the funding scheme. These providers are featured in the LawTech Exhibition and Insight Stage I have just mentioned. This is yet another reason not to miss the exhibition and demonstrations there.
Guidance note
Our second initiative is equally exciting. I am most pleased to share that the DoJ has just issued a guidance note on the use of lawtech in legal practice. This note seeks to provide some key principles and practical guidance to assist legal professionals to harness lawtech’s benefits while safeguarding against the possible risks associated with the use of lawtech and upholding their fundamental professional duties.
This is a strong echo reinforcing the very theme we have explored today. In one word, it is integrity. In two sentences, they are as follows – lawtech tools do not exonerate legal professionals as the ultimate bearers of accountability, nor their responsibility in discharging professional duties. Legal professionals always remain solely and fully responsible for all work undertaken in the course of their professional practice, irrespective of whether or not lawtech is adopted.
As we conclude this Forum, may I sincerely thank our esteemed speakers and panelists for their constructive sharing and candid suggestions, as well as all exhibitors, supporting organisations and my colleagues for their active participation and support, without which, the second Hong Kong LawTech Fest could not have been a success. Thank you.
