HKIAC opens second mainland office in Beijing
The Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre (HKIAC) has opened its Beijing Representative Office, becoming the first offshore arbitration institution to establish a base in the Chinese capital. This is HKIAC's second office in mainland China, complementing its Shanghai Representative Office, which opened in 2015. The Beijing office is set to play a pivotal role in providing on-the-ground support for dispute resolution services, offering training programs, and facilitating exchanges with practitioners in China's arbitration sector. The office will also host case-related activities, subject to compliance with local laws.
HKIAC's strong track record in handling China-related cases underscores the significance of this development. Over the past five years:
- Cases submitted to HKIAC involved parties from nearly 100 jurisdictions.
- Approximately 78% of cases were international in nature.
- Around 40% of cases included at least one mainland Chinese party.
The institution also highlights its diverse governance and operational structures, which include:
- Four prominent mainland Chinese practitioners on its Council, alongside representatives from Hong Kong and 19 other jurisdictions.
- A multilingual Secretariat, where more than half the counsel team is proficient in both English and Chinese.
The opening of the Beijing office builds on HKIAC's inclusion in 2022 on the Supreme People’s Court’s platform for international commercial dispute resolution, enabling enhanced access to interim measures and the enforcement of arbitration awards in mainland China. This positioning bolsters HKIAC’s appeal as a preferred forum for resolving cross-border disputes involving Chinese parties or assets.
