HONG KONG, July 7 -- Experts from different countries and regions gathered in China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) on Friday to discuss international law issues related to Asia on the 2017 Colloquium on International Law: Common Future in Asia.

Co-hosted by the Asian Academy of International Law (AAIL) and the Chinese Society of International Law, the two-day colloquium covers topics including the "one country, two systems" policy and its contribution to and interaction with international law; opportunities and challenges for Asia in investment collaboration, as well as interpretation of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

In his welcome remarks at the meeting, Hong Kong SAR's Secretary for Justice Rimsky Yuen said that international law affects not just states or international organizations, but human activities on many different fronts. At the same time, the more globalized the world is, the more challenges we face in tackling international law issues.

Under "one country, two systems," the high degree of autonomy enjoyed by the Hong Kong SAR extends to its participation in international organizations and conferences. The Hong Kong SAR has developed an effective and close relationship with the international community in the past 20 years, said Yuen.

"We attach importance to international law not just because we are concerned with international trade or economic development," Yuen said, "but because we also believe that the Hong Kong SAR, with its strong commitment to upholding the rule of law, can have a significant role to play in fostering international rule of law."

Li Shishi, president of Chinese Society of International Law said that nowadays, Asia is a major driving force for global economic development. A number of regional cooperation frameworks including the Belt and Road Initiative served as strong driving force for the overall development of Asia and provided a number of new opportunities for the region.

For international law scholars in Asia, efforts should be made to put forward international law theories, their consistence with the principles of international law, as well as the common interests of the Asia region, said Li.

At the colloquium, a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on the cooperation in international law research and training was signed between the "China and the Asian-African Legal Consultative Organization (AALCO) Exchange and Research Program on International Law" and the Hong Kong based AAIL.