On 15 September 2026, HiHonor Law Firm welcomed Mr. WEI Ketai, the President of Qingdao Municipal Bar Association, for an on‑site research visit and discussion.

During the meeting, HiHonor Managing Partner Xinwei ZHAO briefed to President Wei on the firm’s over 20 years’ journey specializing in foreign‑related maritime and admiralty legal services. She outlined the firm’s culture, current business scope, team structure and representative cases/achievements. Against the backdrop of evolving trends within the legal‑services sector, Ms. Zhao also shared practical challenges faced by boutique firms in talent development, business expansion and resource networking, together with the firm’s future development plans.

President Wei spoke highly of HiHonor’s strategic focus on this niche maritime practice area and its commitment to high‑end, specialized development. He recognized the firm’s solid track‑record and professional strengths across maritime, cross‑border, port-and-terminal‑related legal matters.

Addressing pain‑points around talent development for small‑to‑mid‑sized law firms, President Wei offered targeted guidance, with reference to broader‑sector developments and Qingdao city’s master‑plan for building an international shipping Centre:

• First, align services with priorities for the international‑shipping‑Centre initiative. Following the principle of working closely with, serving and relying on local Party and government authorities, the firm shall keep concentrating its practice on core shipping/maritime practice, port and terminal‑related and cross‑border legal services. It should deliver refined, high‑quality specialist legal support for both domestic and overseas clients.

• Second, strengthen branding and outreach for its specialist practice. The firm should promote its representative cases both online and through in‑person sharing sessions. It shall build a strong local boutique law‑firm brand and set a professional international benchmark for other small‑to‑mid‑sized legal practices.

The visit by the Bar‑Association President has enhanced the strategic direction for HiHonor to pursue further international‑oriented and specialized‑focused growth. Going forward, HiHonor Law Firm will continue to deepen its core maritime, cross‑border, port-and -terminal-related practice areas, through specialized professional services, making modest contribution to Qingdao municipal’s development as an international shipping Centre, and high‑quality progress in regional rule‑of‑law development and opening‑up.

(President WEI with HiHonor Shipping Team: Huanying LIU, Xinwei ZHAO, Wenjuan LI, Vicky WEI)