Experts speak positively of arbitration at PolyU event

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Hong Kong’s role as an international arbitration centre can expand much further under the Belt and Road initiative, said legal experts gathered at the Knowledge Transfer Forum held by the Faculty of Business of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University on 24 January 2019.

Indeed, the Outline Development Plan for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area promulgated by the Central Government last month (February) clearly envisioned Hong Kong’s future position as a leading centre for dispute resolution – resonating with the theme of Dispute Resolution Issues in Belt and Road Commercial Transactions and The Role of Hong Kong at the forum.

Veteran lawyers and legal educators shed light on Hong Kong’s niche in supporting companies attracted to the area spanning Asia, Europe and Africa.

Speaking at the start of the event, Liu Chun Hua, Director-General, Department of Law of the Central People's Government’s Liaison Office, lauded Hong Kong’s unique advantages in helping companies resolve cross-border disputes. As echoed by other speakers, Hong Kong’s high level of internationalization, tradition of rule of law, enviable pool of experienced lawyers and arbitrators, many of whom being trilingual (capable of understanding Putonghua), make it an attractive choice for companies venturing into the economically and culturally diverse region.

Mr Liu said the Greater Bay Area alone, with a population of 70 million, offer vast business opportunities. But he called for further development in local legal services by for example incorporating big data and artificial intelligence. Hong Kong ranked among the top five seats of arbitration worldwide in the Queen Mary University of London and White & Case's 2018 International Arbitration Survey, which also found that information technology was widely used in international arbitration and respondents welcome increased use of such tools to aid efficiency.