HK launches dispute resolution platform

Hong Kong is establishing an online platform to facilitate dispute resolution for enterprises and economies engaged in the Belt and Road Initiative, Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor said on Friday.

The move is in line with the government’s vision to promote the city as an international mediation and arbitration center.

Speaking at the 2018 Colloquium on International Law in Hong Kong, Lam said the city’s legal professionals and dispute-resolution professionals were fine-tuning an innovative technology-embedded platform. This would provide safe, reliable and credible solutions, she added.

As the gateway to the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong is uniquely positioned as a dealmaker and dispute resolver, Lam said.

She said Hong Kong has consolidated its role as an ideal place to settle disputes with advantages offered by its wellestablished legal system, wellrespected judiciary, independent legal professionals and dedicated mediation legislation.

Echoing Lam’s view, Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Xie Feng recognized the city’s rule of law performance, which “ranks among the top in the world”.

Hong Kong, the only region in China that practices common law, has a convergent culture, well-connected legal standards and a full-fledged and independent judicial system, said Xie.

He also emphasized Hong Kong’s role as a premium place for arbitration. With its own Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre founded in 1985, the city has also attracted world-leading arbitration institutions including the Hague Conferences on Private International Law, Permanent Court of Arbitration and International Court of Arbitration to establish their presences, Xie said.

This showed their confidence and support for Hong Kong as a legal-service and dispute-settlement center in Asia, he concluded.

As of last November, 892 local law firms and 85 foreign law firms with more than 10,000 practicing solicitors and barristers have set up their presence in Hong Kong, including more than half the Global 100 law firms.

The HKIAC last year handled 532 cases entailing HK$39.3 billion, more than twice of the number in 2016.

Entering its third year, the colloquium was co-hosted by Asian Academy of International Law, a Hong Kong based non-profit body, and the Chinese Society of International Law, a national academic body.

International law issues arising from cross-border investment and business will be discussed at the two-day event.