International Financial Centre Becomes China-Centred Financial Centre; Financial Times Says Hong Kong Judicial Independence Is Questioned and Corporate Lawyers “Self-censor”
國際金融中心變中國金融中心 《金融時報》：港司法獨立受質疑 企業律師「自我審查」
Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu has repeatedly said that Hong Kong’s common-law system is an advantage and pledged to develop the city into an international legal and dispute-resolution services centre in the Asia-Pacific region. But confidence in the judiciary has come under question. The Financial Times reported that the influence of the Chinese government has led to doubts about Hong Kong’s judicial independence, affecting the confidence of corporate lawyers and prompting “self-censorship”, with lawyers often choosing less controversial cases. The report quoted interviewees as saying that Hong Kong had changed from an international financial centre into a financial centre “centred on China”.
特首李家超多次表示香港有普通法制度優勢，矢言要將港發展為亞太區國際法律及爭議解決服務中心，但外界對司法信心存疑。《金融時報》報道，因中國政府的影響，香港司法獨立受到質疑，進而影響企業律師（Corporate Lawyers）的信心，並出現「自我審查」，往往選擇更少爭議的案件。報道引述受訪者直言，香港已由國際金融中心，變成「以中國為中心」的金融中心。