New specialist division of High Court for major cross-border and international commercial disputes expected to launch within coming year.
The Hong Kong judiciary plans to establish an international commercial court to adjudicate complex, high-value international disputes within the coming year (announced here).
The Hong Kong International Commercial Court (HKICC) will operate as a specialist division of the High Court composed of local judges with substantial experience in commercial law. Eminent senior judges and practitioners from other common law jurisdictions may also be invited to sit on an ad hoc basis.
A floor in the High Court building will be designated for use by the HKICC, which is expected to make extensive use of technology, including remote hearings, electronic filing, electronic bundles, and voice-to-text transcription.
The establishment of the HKICC will further enhance Hong Kong’s status as a leading hub for the resolution of international disputes by litigation, arbitration and mediation. Hong Kong and the HKIAC are the most popular seat and institution respectively for arbitration users based in Asia-Pacific, and joint second globally, according to the most recent statistical survey by Queen Mary University of London, while the Hong Kong Arbitration Ordinance is currently being reviewed to ensure it remains at the cutting edge of international best practice (as reported here). The city is also home to the International Organization for Mediation, the first intergovernmental organisation dedicated to resolving international disputes through mediation, which was established pursuant to a convention signed in Hong Kong in 2025 (reported here).
More information on the HKICC is available in a recent post published by Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer’s specialist Hong Kong litigation practice on our Asia Disputes Notes blog.
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