HKIAC conference proves timely as arbitration cases boom in the region

Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre’s (HKIAC) 11th ADR in Asia Conference came at a prime time in a city that has seen ramped up demand for alternative dispute resolution, particularly from the mainland.

“The number of arbitrations involving mainland parties is noticeably on the rise,” said Rimsky Yuen, Hong Kong’s secretary for justice, at his keynote address for the conference.

Compared to the mainland, arbitration in Hong Kong has its advantages. In places like Hong Kong, “arbitration institutions are extremely well established,” Craig Celniker, a partner at Morrison & Foerster in Tokyo and a panelist at the conference, told China Business Law Journal.