Hong Kong becomes a major international arbitration seat

Editor's note: The sixth part of the data series focuses on the role of the city as a center for international legal and dispute resolution services in the Asia-Pacific region.

The strong support from the nation has helped Hong Kong become the third preferred arbitration seat in the world. Two systems in Hong Kong have preserved its traditional common law legal system and a wealth of highly specialized legal practitioners under one country. The rapid development of the Chinese mainland's economy has resulted in a good deal of arbitration cases for Hong Kong. The legal cooperation arrangements between the mainland and Hong Kong give the city a unique advantage in handling arbitrations involving Chinese parties. These advantages are not available in any other major arbitration center in the world.

Hong Kong is the only jurisdiction in the world that has a truly bilingual common law system, English and Chinese, and is the only common law jurisdiction in our country. It is in our best interest to leverage on the advantages of common law to contribute to the development of Hong Kong and our nation.