The Hong Kong-Nansha Seminar on Mediation and Arbitration (穗港調解與仲裁研討會) co-organised by the Joint Mediation Helpline Office (JMHO) and China Nansha International Arbitration Centre (NSIAC) has been successfully concluded on 21 September 2016.
About 70 participants from the Mainland gathered at the China Nansha International Arbitration Centre for the seminar, including professionals from legal, commercial and education sectors. They have actively shared their experience and enthusiastically interacted with each other throughout the event.
The contents of the seminar were well-received. The event’s Guests of Honour, Mr. Simon Lee, Deputy Law Officer (Civil Law) of Department of Justice and Ms. Yu Ruolan, Deputy Chief of the People’s Government of Nansha District of Guangzhou, outlined the development of mediation in Hong Kong and the importance of cross-straits interaction between the legal sectors in promoting commercial cooperation.
Ms. Cecilia Wong, Director of JMHO, introduced to the participants the Civil Justice Reform, the Mediation Ordinance and the duty of legal representatives. She has also explained the importance of sufficient participation in mediation by way of two case studies.
Mr. Hao Fei, arbitrator of Guangzhou Arbitration Commission, inspired the audience by his in-depth elaboration on the mediation culture and customs on the Mainland. He explained the operation of the various arbitration commission and the differences in the mediation and arbitration mechanisms between Mainland and Hong Kong.
Mr. Oscar Tan, Assistant Honorary Secretary of JMHO, illustrated the advantages of facilitative mediation using three case examples. He said one of the important aspects of Hong Kong mediation is that there are strict accreditation requirements for mediators in terms of mediation skills. Such accreditation requirements are on par with international standards and Mainland institutions can leverage the advantage of Hong Kong Mediation to deal with commercial disputes with foreign elements.
In his closing remarks, Mr. Antony Man, Chairman of JMHO, concluded that albeit the cultural and legal differences between Mainland and Hong Kong, the trend of using alternative dispute resolution (ADR) to avoid escalation of conflicts and litigation are common to both jurisdictions. He believed that there would be more interaction and cooperation between the two cities on the development of ADR.
Special acknowledgment be given to the Government of HKSAR as the seminar was funded by the Dedicated Fund on Branding, Upgrading and Domestic Sales (BUD Fund), which aims at assisting Hong Kong enterprises in exploring and expanding the Mainland market through developing brands, upgrading and restructuring operations, and promoting domestic sales in the Mainland.
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