Hong Kong justice chief told American scholars Thursday that legal system in Hong Kong remains strong and independent after the special administrative region returned to its motherland.

"The promise of continuity in the laws and legal system in Hong Kong has been honored, not just in form, but in full substance," Secretary for Justice of Hong Kong Wong Yan Lung said at a luncheon meeting of the Brookings Institution.

Wong said the law in Hong Kong provides for an independent judiciary and the government generally respects this provision in practice, which provides citizens with a fair and efficient judicial process.

He added that Hong Kong has been honored with a favorable grading on "Confidence in Asian Judicial Systems" in 2006, which is 1.55 in a 10 grade range with zero being the best grade possible and 10 worst.

Source: Xinhua