Let me to introduce myself. My name is Hynek Zikovsky.
I am pleased to be able to speak to my colleagues in China thanks to my friend Ying Fu. I have had great admiration of China history, culture and people since my childhood. I was privileged to live in Beijing for five years with my parents. My father was the first secretary at the Czechoslovak Embassy and I was going to the Czech school every day across the Forbidden City. I even spoke fluently Chinese that I learnt by playing with Chinese kids, but unfortunately, I forgot all when our family returned to Prague. I witnessed incredible speed of transformation of China as I have visited your country on many occasions since 1990. I am certain that no country in the whole history of the world didn’t change and improved immensely life for of many people in such short time as China since 1990.
I am presently the Honorary consul of the Czech Republic for the Province of Quebec.
I studied first at the Prague faculty of law where I earned the Doctor of law degree in the International Public Law. After I moved to Canada, I studied at McGill Law School and graduated as B. of Civil Law and Common law. I am member of the Quebec Bar and the international member of the American Immigration Law Association.
I was fortunate to meet Ying 6 years ago and became friends fast as we share passion for history and culture of China. I was much impressed by Ying’s vast legal knowledge, her numerous legal publications, her work ethics and discipline, her curiosity and open mind as well as of her love of China and its people. I proposed my partners to admit Ying to our law firm as Chinese law specialist and I am happy to have Ying with us.
I am much indebted to Ying for organizing working trip to China and for meetings with business people, bank representatives and number of law firms and attorneys in 2018.
We visited Beijing, Dalian, Hangzhou and Shanghai. I was impressed how well we were received in China, the respect all Ying’s friends and business and legal associates manifested her and the attention that they gave to her lectures. We discussed with our Chinese colleagues’ different legal concepts and practical solutions to complex legal matters and more and more I realised how true is Ying’s moto: you can resolve all issues if you treat people and your adversaries with love and respect.
Canada-China relations are deep and longstanding. I wish here to remember Dr. Norman Bethune who treated wounded Chinese communists during civil war and to whom President Mao dedicated eulogy. Dr. Bethune is remembered to this day in China and in Canada. We have a statute of Dr. Bethune in Montreal. Father of the present PM, Pierre Elliot Trudeau was among the first Western leaders to visit China in 1973 and met also President Mao.
I was fortunate of being invited by Ying to participate in very important events in Quebec e.g. the official reception on occasion of meeting our PM Justin Trudeau and Chinese PM Li Keqiang, receptions organized by the Consul general of China in Montreal on occasions of celebrations of Chinese National Day and many other events that Ying have organized with Canada-China Business Counsel.
I also like is Ying’s energy in promotion of exchange of Chinese law students with McGill University Law school, her relentless promotion of trade and business relations between the two countries.
We live in deeply divided world today. Some dark forces would like to force China into an isolation, restrict her access to international markets and limit China companies’ development or JV in Canada.
Very frightening and dangerous rift in relations between the two previously very friendly countries happened when Canada arrested the VP Men Wanzhou of Huawei in Vancouver in Dec 2018 on request of USA.
We believe that we, Canadian lawyers have means and responsibility to fight these trends.
That’s why when Ying came with an idea to establish in Canada a Chinese law firm where Canadian and Chinese lawyers would work together for promotion of trade, educational and cultural relations between the countries, I, as well as other colleagues, saw immediately the merit of the proposition. That’s how we came together to found together with Ying Jingsh Law Firm in Montreal, Quebec. I am quite proud of being among the co-founders of the Jingsh Law Canada!
Why we decided to establish the firm in Montreal, in Quebec if there are more of China diaspora in Toronto or Vancouver? Well, the answer is quite simple. Montreal and Quebec are truly bilingual and deeply respecting other cultures. Ying has been living between Montreal and Beijing for more than 9 years and has developed excellent support network in Montreal.
Also, Jingsh Law will be expanding into other cities across Canada and later into the USA as its internal structure is flexible. Moreover, Quebec is one of the most open and welcoming jurisdictions in Canada. Quebec’ official policy is to open its vast and mineral rich territories to foreign enterprises and support financially and logistically their development.
Together we can do miracles and that’s precisely what we will do.
