Deputy Secretary for Justice Cheung Kwok-kwan today attended the 8th International Mediation Summit in Urumqi, Xinjiang, to promote exchanges on commercial mediation between Hong Kong and Xinjiang and explore collaboration opportunities.
 
The summit featured multiple panel sessions to explore the latest developments and sharing experience in dispute resolution mechanisms, attracting hundreds of lawyers, mediators, arbitrators, and representatives of enterprises from the Mainland and overseas, including countries from Central Asia.
 
Noting that Hong Kong and Xinjiang can achieve mutual development, Mr Cheung said in his opening remarks that Xinjiang has been playing a crucial role in promoting economic and trade relations with the Belt & Road countries.
 
As an international legal and dispute resolution services centre in the Asia-Pacific region and the only common law jurisdiction in China, Hong Kong is dedicated to promoting a multifaceted dispute resolution mechanism such as mediation to create a favourable environment for business and investment and to support high quality economic development within the region and beyond, he added.
 
Mr Cheung also elaborated on Hong Kong's latest development in promoting international commercial mediation, strengthening training for mediation talent, promoting a mediation culture and widening the use of mediation in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA).
 
The deputy justice secretary stated that with the Belt & Road Initiative further facilitating international investment and trade, international investment and commercial disputes are expected to increase.
 
He explained that the International Organization for Mediation headquarters in Hong Kong will not only consolidate the city's role as an international legal and dispute resolution services centre, but also provide friendly, flexible, economical and efficient mediation services for settling international disputes upon its establishment, thereby building Hong Kong as a centre for international mediation.
 
On the roles of the Department of Justice (DoJ) in nurturing legal talent and promoting a mediation culture, Mr Cheung noted that the DoJ has been organising training courses on investment law and investment mediation since 2018 with participants from 40 jurisdictions having completed the courses.
 
The department also launched the "Mediate First" Pledge campaign in 2009, which has been extended to Shanghai, Shenzhen and Bangkok, and will be extended to other GBA cities and overseas regions. So far, more than 890 units have signed the pledge, committing to first explore the possibility of resolving disputes by means of mediation.
    
Mr Cheung earlier met senior officials of the Justice Department of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region to explore ways to enhance co-operation in legal services between Xinjiang and Hong Kong.
 
Afterwards, he visited the One-stop Dispute Resolution Centre of Functional Urumqi Economic & Technological Development Zone of China (Xinjiang) Pilot Free Trade Zone.
 
He also met Vice Chairman of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT) and Chairman of the CCPIT Mediation Center Yu Jianlong to exchange views on enhancing bilateral co-operation in legal services for commercial matters. He then attended a luncheon with representatives of Hong Kong enterprises in Xinjiang.
 
Upon his arrival in Urumqi yesterday, Mr Cheung called on Vice Chairman of the People's Government of Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region Sun Hongmei and attended a dinner together.
 
Mr Cheung will return to Hong Kong tomorrow.