In a significant move to deepen legal integration, China’s Ministry of Justice announced on December 3, 2025, the substantial expansion of practice rights for qualified lawyers from Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan operating on the mainland. The new policy authorizes these legal professionals to represent clients in 299 categories of civil cases, marking a substantial broadening of their jurisdictional scope.
The enhanced practice rights now encompass specialized legal domains including maritime and admiralty disputes, personality right conflicts, real property matters, alongside intellectual property and competition litigation. This expansion represents a strategic effort to leverage the unique expertise of legal practitioners from these regions within mainland China’s judicial system.
Concurrently, the ministry has aligned practice regulations within the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA), creating consistent representation standards for Hong Kong and Macao lawyers appearing in mainland courts. The nine mainland cities within the GBA economic zone have simultaneously received expanded authorization for legal services provided by qualified GBA practitioners.
Official statements emphasize that this policy evolution responds directly to expressed demands from legal professionals seeking broader operational parameters. The initiative aims to facilitate deeper integration of these lawyers into China’s comprehensive legal development framework while maximizing their specialized professional capabilities.
Current statistics reveal that over 760 legal professionals from Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan have received mainland practice approval, with more than 630 Hong Kong and Macao lawyers specifically obtaining the GBA practice certification. This development continues China’s progressive opening of legal services to these jurisdictions, strengthening cross-regional rule of law cooperation and exchange.
Zhang Han, spokeswoman for the Taiwan Affairs Office, characterized the measure as creating substantial opportunities for Taiwanese legal professionals within mainland China’s expanding legal market. The policy aligns with broader efforts to enhance cross-strait economic and cultural collaboration while encouraging Taiwanese participation in mainland socioeconomic development initiatives.