SCIAHK joined Hong Kong Department of Justice Delegation to visit Saudi Arabia

On May 19, 2024, Mr Paul Lam, SC, the Secretary for Justice of the HKSAR Government (the SJ ), led a delegation to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia for a two-day visit. The delegation, comprising approximately 30 delegates from the Invest Hong Kong (InvestHK), the Law Society of Hong Kong (HKLS), the Hong Kong Bar Association (HKBA), the South China International Arbitration Center (HK) (SCIAHK), and related sectors, with the aim to promote Hong Kong's legal and dispute resolution services and to strengthen exchanges and cooperation between Hong Kong and Saudi Arabia. Li Xiongfeng, Deputy Secretary-General of the SCIAHK, Deputy Director of International Cooperation and Development Department of Shenzhen Court of International Arbitration, participated in the delegation's visit.

On behalf of the SCIA and SCIAHK, accompanying the SJ and his delegation to Riyadh, Mr Li attended the forum co-hosted by DoJ, the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Dubai, the Hong Kong Trade Development Council, and the Saudi-Chinese Business Council, and supported by InvestHK. The Forum themed "Hong Kong – The Common Law Gateway for Saudi Arabian Business to China and Beyond," facilitated meetings and exchanges with local legal and business professionals. In SJ’s welcome remarks, he stated that as the only common law jurisdiction in China, Hong Kong has a well-established legal system and top-quality legal and dispute resolution services, renowned international arbitration institutions such as the Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre and SCIAHK offer a variety of dispute resolution services to global commercial entities, positioning Hong Kong as an ideal gateway for Middle East businesses and the legal sector to access the Mainland market.

Alpha Lau Hai-suen, Director-General of Investment Promotion at InvestHK presented Hong Kong’s investment and business environment in the latest days, incentivizing Saudi Arabian investors, entrepreneurs, and startups to expand their business in Hong Kong markets and through Hong Kong to other places.

At the networking, Mr Li exchanged views with attendees from the Saudi Arabian legal and business communities, sharing the positive role played by SCIA&SCIAHK's unique arrangement of “two cities, two legal systems, two arbitration institutions, two sets of rules, and two panels of arbitrators” in resolving global business disputes.

On May 20, 2024, Mr Li, along with SJ and his delegation, visited the Saudi Center for Commercial Arbitration (SCCA) and met with SCCA’s board of directors. Established by a Saudi minister council decision in 2014 and operating under the “Statute of the Saudi Center for Commercial Arbitration,” SCCA is responsible for managing procedures related to alternative dispute resolution methods for commercial disputes. Both sides engaged in in-depth discussions on arbitration, mediation, and online dispute resolution services. Mr Li shared the practices of the “Ordinance on the Shenzhen Court of International Arbitration” and introduced the innovation of the “Shenzhen-Hong Kong Cooperation” in promoting the internationalization of international arbitration in China and the statutory body reform in Shenzhen Special Economic Zone and its legislation for SCIA since 2012.

During the visit in Riyadh, together with the delegation, Mr Li met with Dr. Najem bin Abdullah al-Zaid, Vice-Minister of Justice of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Chang Hua, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the People's Republic of China to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and enterprises from Chinese mainland and Hong Kong in Saudi Arabia.