Hong Kong legal experts said on Monday that a flurry of legal events held recently in Hong Kong further showcases the city’s prowess in legal and dispute resolution services.
The gatherings also provide an ideal platform to facilitate the globalization of Chinese mainland arbitration institutions, they said.
The events include the 2024 China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission’s Greater Bay Area Summit on Sunday; the Meditation Conference 2024 and the Meditation Week, held from Monday through Friday; and the 26th International Council for Commercial Arbitration (ICCA) Congress, which began on Sunday and runs through Wednesday.
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Monday marked the second day of the ICCA Congress. With the theme of “International Arbitration: A Human Endeavour”, over 1,300 delegates from more than 70 jurisdictions worldwide gathered and exchange views on arbitration issues.
Addressing the Congress on Sunday, Secretary for Justice Paul Lam Ting-kwok said hosting the Congress is a very strong vote of confidence in Hong Kong as an international arbitration center.
He added that attending the Congress in Hong Kong is a good chance for legal professionals from all over the world to understand that Hong Kong remains a very open, friendly and diversified international society with a solid foundation based on the rule of law.
Also on Sunday, the Shanghai International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission (SHIAC) opened its Hong Kong office, the center’s first office outside the mainland.
Deputy Secretary for Justice Horace Cheung Kwok-kwan said the office will strengthen Hong Kong’s position in international legal and dispute resolution services in the Asia-Pacific region, and enhance the city’s prowess in high-end arbitration.
Cheung said Hong Kong will continue to actively grasp the huge opportunities brought by the development of the country’s new quality productive forces, and Shanghai and Hong Kong will work together to promote the construction of China’s rule of law.
Edward Liu Yang, a solicitor and a member of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region’s Advisory Committee on the Promotion of Arbitration, said the office confirms Hong Kong’s pivotal role as a “superconnector” for mainland arbitration institutions seeking international arbitration engagements.
Liu also said that Hong Kong is actively working with mainland authorities on allowing Hong Kong-invested mainland enterprises to adopt Hong Kong law and choose Hong Kong as the seat of arbitration.
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The arrangement is currently applied to enterprises in the Qianhai Shenzhen-Hong Kong Modern Service Industry Cooperation Zone and China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone.
He added that if the arrangement could be expanded to the entire city of Shanghai, it would unleash substantial benefits to Hong Kong-invested enterprises operating in the city.
Alex Fan Hoi-kit, president of the Hainan International Arbitration Court and a barrister, said Hong Kong is the only jurisdiction that practices common law within the nation. This unique feature of Hong Kong’s legal system provides a dispute resolution platform via which the mainland arbitration institutions can go worldwide, he added.
