Policy Address

Centre for International Legal and Dispute Resolution Services in the Asia-Pacific Region

77. The Government will continue to develop Hong Kong into a centre for international legal and dispute resolution services in the Asia-Pacific region. We will:

  1. extend the adoption of Hong Kong law and usage of Hong Kong's dispute resolution services by Mainland enterprises – We will strive for the extension of the measures of "allowing Hong Kong-invested enterprises to adopt Hong Kong law" and "allowing Hong Kong-invested enterprises to choose for arbitration to be seated in Hong Kong" from Qianhai, Shenzhen and Pilot Free Trade Zones in the Mainland to the whole GBA. We will also strive for state-owned enterprises' prioritisation of adopting Hong Kong law as the applicable law for their contracts, or choosing to use Hong Kong's dispute resolution services for resolving contractual disputes;

  2. step up efforts in establishing interface with the Mainland – We will work with the Supreme People's Court on the establishment of a standing interfacing platform next year to take forward the research and practical work on judicial and legal matters relating to the GBA so as to address issues arising from the differences in the legal systems, including further enhancing the arrangement for cross-boundary service of judicial documents, studying the mechanism for mutual assistance in corporate bankruptcy proceedings, as well as matters relating to cross-boundary dispute resolution; and

  3. deepen the mediation culture – Mediation is generally more affordable than commencing legal proceedings. The Government will enhance the mediation system by, for instance, strengthening the regulatory system on the accreditation and disciplinary matters of the mediation profession, incorporating standard mediation clauses in government contracts, and encouraging private organisations to incorporate similar clauses in their contracts.