On 1 October 2019, the Arrangement Concerning Mutual Assistance
in Court-ordered Interim Measures in Aid of Arbitral Proceedings by
the Courts of the Mainland and of the Hong Kong Special
Administrative Region (Arrangement) came into
effect. The Arrangement allows a party in approved Hong Kong
administered arbitral proceedings, whether commenced before or
after 1 October 2019, to apply to the relevant Mainland
Intermediate People's Court for an interim measure in aid of
those proceedings. The Arrangement gives effect to the principle of
"one country, two systems" and gives Hong Kong an edge
over other jurisdictions outside the Mainland as the seat of
arbitration.
The purpose of the Arrangement is to facilitate the enforcement
of an award expected to be obtained in Hong Kong arbitral
proceedings and to protect the rights and interests of the parties
to those proceedings. The types of interim measures which the
Mainland courts may grant include property, asset,
