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15 December 2017 / Barry Fletcher
Issue: 7774 / Categories: Features , Procedure & practice , Arbitration , ADR
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A unique ADR perspective

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Is Hong Kong ready for the One Belt, One Road ‘goldrush’? Barry Fletcher reports

Two subjects dominated the early stages of Hong Kong’s sixth annual Arbitration Week: the high winds and lashing rain of tropical storm Khanun as it swept towards the Special Administrative Region, and China’s behemoth ‘One Belt, One Road Initiative’ (OBOR). It was clear that while Khanun’s effects were fleeting, the actual and potential impact of OBOR is a force to reckon with in Asia and beyond. This article considers Hong Kong’s ability to capitalise on dispute resolution work arising, now or in the future, out of OBOR disputes, with a focus on commercial arbitration and mediation.

OBOR & dispute resolution

Although originally conceived by China in 2013, OBOR (or the ‘Belt and Road Initiative’) is firmly on the current global agenda, and refers to the Chinese government’s significant investment and development strategy with the expressed intention of promoting economic co-operation among countries along OBOR routes. OBOR aims to connect Asia, Europe and Africa via land and sea and, while

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Bellevue Law—Lianne Craig

Bellevue Law—Lianne Craig

Workplace law firm expands commercial disputes team with senior consultant hire

EIP—Rob Barker

EIP—Rob Barker

IP firm promotes patent attorney to partner

Muckle LLP—Ryan Butler

Muckle LLP—Ryan Butler

Banking and restructuring team bolstered by insolvency specialist

NEWS
A High Court ruling involving the Longleat estate has exposed the fault line between modern family building and historic trust drafting. Writing in NLJ this week, Charlotte Coyle, director and family law expert at Freeths, examines Cator v Thynn [2026] EWHC 209 (Ch), where trustees sought approval to modernise trusts that retain pre-1970 definitions of ‘child’, ‘grandchild’ and ‘issue’
Fresh proposals to criminalise ‘nudification’ apps, prioritise cyberflashing and non-consensual intimate images, and even ban under-16s from social media have reignited debate over whether the Online Safety Act 2023 (OSA 2023) is fit for purpose. Writing in NLJ this week, Alexander Brown, head of technology, media and telecommunications, and Alexandra Webster, managing associate, Simmons & Simmons, caution against reactive law-making that could undermine the Act’s ‘risk-based and outcomes-focused’ design
Recent allegations surrounding Peter Mandelson and Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor have reignited scrutiny of the ancient common law offence of misconduct in public office. Writing in NLJ this week, Simon Parsons, teaching fellow at Bath Spa University, asks whether their conduct could clear a notoriously high legal hurdle
A landmark ruling has reshaped child clinical negligence claims. Writing in NLJ this week, Jodi Newton, head of birth and paediatric negligence at Osbornes Law, explains how the Supreme Court in CCC v Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust [2026] UKSC 5 has overturned Croke v Wiseman, ending the long-standing bar on children recovering ‘lost years’ earnings
A Court of Appeal ruling has drawn a firm line under party autonomy in arbitration. Writing in NLJ this week, Masood Ahmed, associate professor at the University of Leicester, analyses Gluck v Endzweig [2026] EWCA Civ 145, where a clause allowing arbitrators to amend an award ‘at any time’ was held incompatible with the Arbitration Act 1996
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