Hong Kong’s new Arbitration Ordinance

Introduction

The effective date of the much anticipated Hong Kong Arbitration Ordinance (the AO) has been announced; it comes into force on 1 June 2011. This new legislation, based largely on the UNCITRAL Model Law on International Commercial Arbitration (the Model Law), will not only make Hong Kong's arbitration law more user-friendly but will also cement Hong Kong's position as a leading arbitration centre in Asia and as a regional centre for legal services and dispute resolution. Moreover, by enabling participants to operate within an arbitration regime that accords with widely accepted international practices and development and with the Model Law being familiar to participants from both civil law and common law jurisdictions, the AO is designed to promote Hong Kong to the international business community as an attractive place to conduct arbitrations.