Legal professionals discuss building Hong Kong as an international dispute resolution hub

China News Service, Hong Kong, November 5 (Reporter Qiu Zhaoxiang) The 4th Forum on Integration and Development of the Rule of Law was held at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center on the 5th. Many legal professionals discussed building Hong Kong into a comprehensive international dispute resolution hub.

The forum was co-organized by the Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (referred to as the "Commissioner's Office of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Hong Kong") and the Department of Justice of the Hong Kong SAR Government. It is one of the series of activities of "Hong Kong Law Week 2026".

Cui Jianchun, Commissioner of the Commissioner's Office of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Hong Kong, delivered a welcome speech at the forum, saying that the world is undergoing a century of changes that are accelerating, and maintaining multilateralism and adhering to the international rule of law have increasingly become the consensus of the international community. Starting from the three key points of opportunities, platforms and talents, he analyzed that Hong Kong under "one country, two systems", as the only common law jurisdiction in China, has great potential in giving full play to the advantages of the rule of law, serving the country's high-level opening up to the outside world and the construction of foreign-related rule of law.

In the keynote speech session, Chief Judge Poon Siu-chu of the High Court of the Hong Kong SAR shared the importance and development direction of international commercial litigation in Hong Kong. He believes that Hong Kong is a mature jurisdiction for handling complex international commercial disputes, has rich practical experience, and can provide comprehensive judicial assistance to parties involved in cross-border commercial disputes. In addition, Hong Kong's judicial system can provide legal certainty and institutional guarantees for international commercial relations and activities, helping to further consolidate Hong Kong's status as an international financial center.

At the forum, many local experts, scholars and politicians from Hong Kong participated in two special seminars: "Hong Kong, a Comprehensive International Dispute Resolution Hub" and "Hong Kong Legal Rookies Roundtable: Investing in the Construction of the Nation's Foreign-Related Rule of Law".

Among them, Yao Dingguo, Chairman of the Hong Kong Mediation Qualifications Accreditation Association Limited, shared the topic of how to resolve disputes between investors and host countries through mediation. He pointed out that under the cooperation framework of the Belt and Road Initiative, Hong Kong has the opportunity to participate in dispute mediation cases involving infrastructure, energy, communications, finance and other fields. It can rely on the advantages of its legal system, bilingual legal services in Chinese and English, and cross-cultural communication capabilities to promote cooperation between investors and host countries to resolve conflicts.

"Hong Kong Legal Week 2026" will be held in Hong Kong from November 2 to 6, with the theme of "Collaboration and Innovation: Legal Interaction to Build the Future". Participants will discuss a number of topics such as international legal collaboration, international dispute resolution, foreign-related legal construction, legal technology and opportunities in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.