In a recent decision, the Hong Kong Court of First Instance stayed a winding-up petition on just and equitable grounds in favour of arbitration, and refused to require the applicant to satisfy the more onerous test as is applied to a case management stay. China Europe International Business School v Chengwei Evergreen Capital LP (formerly … Read more

In a recent decision that involved interlinked agreements containing different dispute resolution clauses, the Hong Kong Court of First Instance refused to stay court proceedings in favour of arbitration, on the basis that the centre of gravity of the dispute did not fall within the contracts that contained the arbitration agreement. Zpmc-Red Box Energy Services … Read more

The Hong Kong Court of First Instance has stayed an action to arbitration where the agreement provided that disputes “may” be referred to arbitration. Kinli Civil Engineering Limited v Geotech Engineering Limited [2021] HKCFI 2503 Background Kinli commenced court proceedings to recover HKD 4,055,696.83, which it argued was due and owing from Geotech under a … Read more

The Hong Kong Court of First Instance has refused to set aside an enforcement order for a US award on the basis that the arbitration agreement was invalid, the defendant was unable to present its case, or it would be contrary to Hong Kong public policy to enforce the award (Construction Company v Guarantor [2021] … Read more

The Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre has released an updated report on the average costs and duration of HKIAC arbitral proceedings, following previous reports in 2018 and 2016. The report demonstrates that HKIAC offers parties administered arbitration, as well as expedited and emergency proceedings, that are both efficient and reasonably priced. The updated report reflects … Read more

In a “highly unusual case“, the Hong Kong High Court has held an award rendered in HKIAC arbitration proceedings “manifestly invalid” on the basis that the tribunal’s findings were inconsistent with an earlier award rendered in a separate arbitration but involving the same parties and one of the same arbitrators. The dispute in W v … Read more

Herbert Smith Freehills has secured an important victory in Hong Kong proceedings with far-reaching consequences for arbitration disputes around the world. Many commercial contracts contain “escalation clauses” requiring parties to take certain steps before formal arbitration begins – such as a requirement to “negotiate in good faith” before starting arbitration. Previously, failure to comply with … Read more

In a previous post, we reported the Supplemental Arrangement Concerning Mutual Enforcement of Arbitral Awards between the Mainland and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, which was concluded on 27 November 2020. The Supplemental Arrangement was a welcome development that clarified and removed certain restrictions in the mutual enforcement regime between Hong Kong and Mainland … Read more