Secretary for Justice Rimsky Yuen officiated at the inauguration ceremony of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT) - Hong Kong Mediation Centre (HKMC) Joint Mediation Centre today.
Speaking at the ceremony, he said Hong Kong can act as a neutral venue for providing cross-boundary dispute resolution services with its dual advantages under the principle of "one country, two systems" when Mainland and foreign enterprises are in dispute.
He said the Mainland is taking forward various development initiatives and plans, including the "Belt & Road" initiative, the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership and the National 13th Five-Year Plan.
These plans will lead to further increases in cross-boundary trade and other areas of co-operation.
"Cases involving Mainland enterprises 'going global' and foreign enterprises making investments in the Mainland will be on the rise. With commercial disputes expected to follow, there will be an increasing demand for legal and dispute resolution services by these enterprises," he said.
He noted mediation is not subject to geographical restrictions and can be conducted in both common law and civil law jurisdictions. With these advantages, parties concerned can resolve disputes involving multiple jurisdictions through mediation, without the need to pursue litigation in individual jurisdictions.
The move will help Hong Kong reinforce its important status as the legal services and dispute resolution centre in the Asia-Pacific region, he added. The centre will further promote mediation services in the two places by providing more diversified services.
The centre was set up by the CCPIT/China Chamber of International Commerce Mediation Centre and the HKMC, and is the first joint mediation centre in Hong Kong set up by major mediation institutions in the two places.
