The seminar on "New Mechanisms for Mutual Recognition and Compulsory Enforcement of Civil and Commercial Judgments between the Mainland and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region" jointly organized by the Supreme People's Court and the Department of Justice of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government was held in Hong Kong on the 29th. The Supreme People's Court recently announced the Arrangement on Mutual Recognition and Enforcement of Judgments in Civil and Commercial Cases between Mainland and Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Courts, which will come into effect on January 29, 2024. The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government previously promulgated the Mainland Civil and Commercial Judgments (Mutual Enforcement) Ordinance (Chapter 645), aimed at implementing this arrangement in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region through local legislation, and it officially came into effect on the 29th. The seminar mainly explained the above arrangements and regulations, including applicable rules and specific procedures, and about 300 people attended. Yang Wanming, Vice President of the Supreme People's Court, delivered a speech at the seminar, stating that the new mechanism will significantly enhance the demand for extraterritorial parties to choose Hong Kong courts to resolve mainland related cases, stimulate the expectation of mainland enterprises to choose Hong Kong as a "going global" cooperation platform, and increase development momentum for Hong Kong to build an international legal and dispute resolution service center in the Asia Pacific region. The Secretary for Justice of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government, Lin Ting kuo, stated that the new mechanism highlights Hong Kong's unique advantages under the "One Country, Two Systems" policy, which will help Hong Kong develop into a regional intellectual property trade center and an international legal and dispute resolution service center in the Asia Pacific region under the national "14th Five Year Plan". Under the new mechanism of mutual recognition and enforcement of civil and commercial judgments between the mainland and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, courts in the mainland and Hong Kong can mutually recognize and enforce effective judgments made by the other party in civil and commercial cases covered by the arrangement. The new mechanism allows parties to reduce or waive the need to file separate lawsuits for the same dispute in mainland and Hong Kong courts, reducing the legal risks, costs, and time costs that may arise from duplicate litigation. (Lai Xin She)