CPD Course:
Greater Bay Area
Legislative Cooperation:
Principles, Procedures
and Practice Directions

Dr. Xu QIAN is Post-Doctoral Fellow at the University of Hong Kong (HKU), specializing in international economic law, Dr. QIAN is a leading expert in the intersection between international economic law and human rights.  Her work also frequently deals with environmental law, dispute settlement, constitutional law and increasingly Greater Bay Area legal cooperation.

Dr. QIAN’s academic publications include “Rethinking Judicial Discretion in International Adjudication” Connecticut Journal of International Law (2020); “Is It Finally Time for Asia’s Free Trade Agreements? The ASEAN Present and the RCEP Future” Asian Journal of International Law (2019); “Challenges of Water Governance (and Privatization) in China” Georgia Journal of International and Comparative Law (2018); "Trans-Pacific Partnership: A World Trade Revolution?,” APEC Currents (2016).  She is also a contributor to Asia Law Portal which is the leading source of information and insights on the practice of law in the vast Asia-Pacific region.  Dr. QIAN is currently working on a new article, which critically examines the application of the proportionality principle across two decades of investment disputes.

Dr. QIAN was a scholar in residence at the Hague Academy of International Law in 2019 for which she received the Academy’s prestigious “Doctoral Scholarship.” Dr. QIAN earlier was the Hong Kong delegate to the 2018 Young Leaders’ Energy Forum which allowed her to foster her research on the impact of climate change on water services regulation.  She also was a judge for the 2018 and 2019 Hong Kong Moot Competitions on Climate Change.  She also co-organized the 2018 Hong Kong Law Research Postgraduate Symposium.  Dr. QIAN has also presented her work at many academic events including the International Water Association (IWA) Annual Conference (2016), Asia FDI Forum II, III and IV (respectively, May 2016, March 2017 and March 2018), and frequently invited to speak at many institutions and leading universities in the US, Australia, China, Taiwan, Italy, Portugal, Japan, Thailand and UK.

Dr. QIAN holds a BA from Heilongjiang University (2012), an LLM and PhD from CUHK Law (respectively 2014 and 2019), and a post-graduate diploma from the Academy of International Trade and Investment Law (2015).  She is an active member of the Asian Academy of International Law (AAIL).

The State Council’s Outline Development Plan (“Plan”) for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area (“Greater Bay Area”), covering a total area of 56,000 square kilometers with a combined population of about 70 million and gross domestic product at around RMB 70 trillion in 2017.  The Greater Bay Area aims at coordinating the cooperation and development among the “nine PRD municipalities” and the two SARs, Hong Kong and Macau.  Together with Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Macau, Hong Kong has been identified as one of the four core cities to lead the development of the Greater Bay Area.

The Greater Bay Area has broad market space and huge investment potential.  The Plan further enhances the industry, environment, and policy advantages with the objective to build a world-class vibrant city cluster.  The Plan features also the Greater Bay Area as an important support for the development and Belt and Road initiative and a demonstration area for the deep cooperation between mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau.  It is envisaged that the Greater Bay Area will become the gathering place global investment and the increasing demand for financial services and cross-border activities mean major opportunities as well as challenges for legal professions in Hong Kong.

Against this rich backdrop, this seminar discusses the Plan from now to 2022 as well as the immediate challenges and longer-term directions up to 2035.  This seminar explains the long-term observation and share some insights on best practice in the legal service market arising from the development of the Greater Bay Area.  This seminar centers on how Hong Kong’s legal and dispute resolution professionals may leverage opportunities in the development of Greater Bay Area.

• The current legal framework of the Greater Bay Area and discuss major opportunities that are relevant to legal professions in Hong Kong.
• The difficulties faced by the Greater Bay Area in supporting and promoting ‘Cross-Border’ business due to the different laws and legal systems.
• How to leverage Hong Kong’s capacities in the key areas for instance, financial connectivities, asset management, trade, IP, and dispute resolution services in the Greater Bay Area.
• Some best practices in the legal service market arising from the development of Greater Bay Area, including regulatory policies and suggestions to investors.
• The future trends in the Greater Bay Area and what to expect from the Greater Bay Area in the years to come.