Vong Hin Fai pledges co-existence of mainland and Portuguese interactions

Vong Hin Fai, the new head of the lawyers’ association, has provided assurance that interactions with both Portuguese and mainland legal circles will co-exist.

Vong assumed presidency of the executive council of the Macau Lawyers Association on Jan. 1 this year. His predecessor, veteran lawyer Jorge Neto Valente, has held the position for the past 20 years.

In contrast to the numerous occasions where Valente has spoken out against the government, Vong is a lawmaker from the indirect election constituency, regularly perceived by the public as pro-establishment.

Considering that the city still enjoys a dual official language system, when questioned by the press on whether the importance of Portuguese lawyers will decline in the future, the new head disagreed, according to report by local media outlet Macao Daily News.

“Whether the position is held by a Portuguese, a Lusophone or a Chinese person, equality between the Chinese and the Portuguese languages will be ensured,” Vong said.

In addition, he said that the association is currently engaged in dialogue with both the Portuguese world and the mainland.

He added that certain association members plan to visit Beijing and hope to meet with the national lawyers’ association or other relevant entities. “Both Chinese and Portuguese lawyers hope to simultaneously consolidate their professions in Macau and explore new businesses during their visits,” said Vong.

Vong also disclosed that the ratio between Portuguese and Chinese lawyers has remained virtually unchanged, at 45% to 55%. Hinting that Portuguese lawyers have not faced challenges, the new association head pointed out that many Chinese lawyers had changed paths to work in government or private entities.

He disclosed that a new hire had expanded the team at the association to 14 people. The new hire focuses on investigations for the Lawyers’ High Committee. The association website will also be updated accordingly.