Hong Kong Hosts 22nd Willem C. Vis East International Commercial Arbitration Moot, Welcoming 1,500 Participants Worldwide.

Speech by SJ at opening ceremony of 22nd Willem C Vis East International Commercial Arbitration Moot

Following is the speech by the Secretary for Justice, Mr Paul Lam, SC, at the opening ceremony of 22nd Willem C Vis East International Commercial Arbitration Moot today (March 30):

Ms Barrington (Director of the Vis East Moot Foundation, Ms Louise Barrington), Ms Tung (Director and the Chief Executive Officer of the Vis East Moot Foundation, Ms Sherlin Tung), distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,

Good evening. On behalf of the Department of Justice of Hong Kong (DoJ), it is my great pleasure to welcome you all to the 22nd Willem C. Vis (East) International Commercial Arbitration Moot (Moot). For those coming from other jurisdictions, a very big and warm welcome to Hong Kong. I would like to start by thanking the Vis East Moot Foundation for holding the Moot in Hong Kong again this year.

I am very delighted to learn that over 1 500 students and coaches from 154 university teams around the world will participate this year. I also wish to extend another very warm welcome to over 400 arbitrators for joining us. This Moot is more than just a competition. It is a platform for gaining knowledge in international arbitration and trade law, while honing the legal and advocacy skills of our young legal talents.

I understand that the Moot will focus on the use of international commercial arbitration to resolve international commercial disputes, and involves the harmonised legal texts of UNCITRAL (United Nations Commission on International Trade Law) including the CISG (United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods) and the New York Convention on the Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Arbitral Awards, both of which apply to Hong Kong. This demonstrates Hong Kong’s commitment to adopting established international commercial law and practices.

Hong Kong is a leading international financial, commercial and trading centre well known for its strong rule of law, independent judiciary, and well-established legal framework. Under the important principle of "one country, two systems", Hong Kong is the only common law jurisdiction within China. Our unique legal system is bilingual in both Chinese and English, which enable people and friends from around the world to navigate with ease. And it provides very strong legal protection to cross-border business transactions and investments, which helps to establish Hong Kong as a deal-making, legal,and dispute resolution services hub.

Hong Kong is and has always been one of the most preferred seats of arbitration in the world. Arbitral awards made in Hong Kong are generally recognised and enforced by the local courts, the Mainland courts and in over 170 Contracting Parties to the New York Convention. In addition, Hong Kong is the first and only common law jurisdiction outside the Mainland where, as a seat of arbitration, parties to arbitral proceedings administered by designated arbitral institutions would be able to apply to the Mainland courts for preservation measures. An award creditor of a Hong Kong arbitral award may also make simultaneous enforcement applications to both the Mainland and Hong Kong courts.

To further facilitate the conduct of arbitrations in Hong Kong, starting from March 1, 2025, the Hong Kong Government has regularised the Pilot Scheme on Facilitation for Persons Participating in Arbitral Proceedings, now known as the Immigration Facilitation Scheme for Persons Participating in Arbitral Proceedings in Hong Kong. This initiative enables eligible visitors to participate in arbitration in Hong Kong without requiring any employment visa. Hong Kong launched the Scheme back in 2020 on a short-term basis. The arbitration community has been supportive of the Scheme since its launch, finding it conducive to maintaining Hong Kong’s competitiveness as an international legal and dispute resolution services centre. The streamlined process under the Scheme covers arbitrators, experts and factual witnesses, parties to the arbitration, parties’ representatives, and other persons directly related to or involved in the arbitration such as tribunal secretaries, tribunal-appointed experts. The DoJ will issue a Guidance Note on the Scheme to the relevant arbitral and dispute resolution institutions soon. I really look forward to seeing many of you coming to Hong Kong to participate in international arbitration in future.

To conclude, I wish each and everyone of you a rewarding mooting experience and a very fruitful stay in Hong Kong. Please do seize this opportunity not only to showcase your advocacy skills but also to forge connections and explore the vast possibilities and opportunities Hong Kong offers, including our fascinating food and drinks and entertainment. Let us look forward to another successful year of the Moot! Thank you very much!

Speech by SJ at opening ceremony of 22nd Willem C Vis East International Commercial Arbitration Moot Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Hong Kong Customs detects two dangerous drugs cases and seizes suspected drugs worth about $7.95 million

Hong Kong Customs detected two dangerous drugs cases in Tseung Kwan O and Hong Kong International Airport respectively yesterday (May 21) and today (May 22), and seized a total of about 21.8 kilograms of assorted drugs with a total estimated market value of about $7.95 million. Two men and one woman, aged between 38 and 49, were arrested.

In the first case, Customs officers intercepted a 48-year-old man and a 49-year-old woman in Tseung Kwan O during an anti-narcotics operation yesterday afternoon. About 3.8kg of suspected drugs, including ketamine, methamphetamine, etomidate capsules, psilocybin mushrooms, MDMA and a batch of suspected drug packaging paraphernalia were found in their residence in the same district. They were then arrested.

In the second case, a 38-year-old male passenger arrived in Hong Kong from Amsterdam, the Netherlands, today. During customs clearance, Customs officers found about 18kg of suspected ketamine inside his check-in suitcase and 33 sticks of duty-not-paid cigarette inside his carry-on baggage. The man was subsequently arrested.

The arrested man and woman in the first case have been jointly charged with one count of trafficking in a dangerous drug and one count of possession of apparatus fit and intended for the inhalation of a dangerous drug. The case will be brought up at the Kwun Tong Magistrates' Courts tomorrow (May 23), while an investigation is ongoing for the second case.

Customs will continue to step up enforcement against drug trafficking activities through intelligence analysis. The department also reminds members of the public to stay alert and not participate in drug trafficking activities for monetary return. They must not accept hiring or delegation from another party to carry controlled items into and out of Hong Kong. They are also reminded not to carry unknown items for other people.

Customs will continue to apply a risk assessment approach and focus on selecting passengers from high-risk regions for clearance to combat transnational drug trafficking activities.

Under the Dangerous Drugs Ordinance, trafficking in a dangerous drug is a serious offence. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of $5 million and life imprisonment.

Under the Dutiable Commodities Ordinance, cigarettes are dutiable goods to which the DCO applies. Any person who imports, deals with, possesses, sells or buys illicit cigarettes commits an offence. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of $2 million and imprisonment for seven years.

Members of the public may report any suspected drug trafficking activities to Customs' 24-hour hotline 182 8080 or its dedicated crime-reporting email account (crimereport@customs.gov.hk) or online form (eform.cefs.gov.hk/form/ced002).

Hong Kong Customs detects two dangerous drugs cases and seizes suspected drugs worth about $7.95 million Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Hong Kong Customs detects two dangerous drugs cases and seizes suspected drugs worth about $7.95 million Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases