27 September, 2019
The Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre ("HKIAC") is pleased to announce that it has been confirmed by the Government of Hong Kong and the Supreme People's Court of the People's Republic of China ("Supreme People's Court") as a qualified arbitral institution for the purposes of Article 2(1) of the Arrangement Concerning Mutual Assistance in Court-ordered Interim Measures in Aid of Arbitral Proceedings by the Courts of the Mainland and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (the "Arrangement").
The Arrangement will come into effect on 1 October 2019 and will apply to applications for interim measures made to the relevant courts on or after that date.
Under the Arrangement, any party to arbitral proceedings seated in Hong Kong and administered by HKIAC or another qualified arbitral institution may, prior to the issuance of the arbitral award, apply to the relevant Mainland Chinese courts for interim measures in relation to the arbitral proceedings in accordance with the relevant laws and regulations of Mainland China. HKIAC reported on the signing of the Arrangement here.
On 26 September 2019, the Supreme People's Court published further information regarding the interpretation and application of the Arrangement on the People's Court Daily. HKIAC intends to publish information on how it will assist parties in applying for interim measures pursuant to the Arrangement and the relevant guidance issued by the Supreme People's Court.
HKIAC will host a seminar organised jointly by the Department of Justice of Hong Kong and the Supreme People's Court to discuss the implementation of the Arrangement and relevant practices on 19 October 2019 before the Hong Kong Arbitration Week. HKIAC will release further details about the seminar in due course.
