Arrangement Concerning Mutual Assistance in Court-ordered Interim Measures in Aid of Arbitral Proceedings by the Courts of the Mainland and of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
AALCO Hong Kong Regional Arbitration Centre (our “Centre”), has been confirmed by the Department of Justice of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region as a qualified arbitral institution under the Arrangement Concerning Mutual Assistance in Court-ordered Interim Measures in Aid of Arbitral Proceedings by the Courts of the Mainland and of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (“Arrangement”) effective from April 2, 2023.
Our Centre is the first arbitration institution in Hong Kong established under international law to be recognized under the Arrangement whereby parties to institutional or ad hoc arbitration administered by our Centre will now be eligible to apply for interim measures directly to the courts of the Mainland China in accordance with the Arrangement.
Hong Kong SAR is currently the only jurisdiction outside Mainland China where parties to arbitration proceedings seated in Hong Kong and administered by approved institutions like our Centre can benefit from an effective and convenient mechanism to apply directly to the people’s courts in Mainland China for enforcement of arbitral interim measures, which include preservation of assets and evidence.
Since the effectiveness of the Arrangement, there have been over 50 applications submitted to Mainland Chinese courts, providing the parties to the eligible Hong Kong arbitration proceedings with an effective and efficient channel to seek Mainland Chinese courts’ assistance for various arbitral interim measures, such as preservation of evidence and assets.
